


A Sketch In Time

by sanva



Series: A Sketch In Time [1]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fusion, M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-16
Updated: 2011-04-16
Packaged: 2017-10-18 04:59:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/185295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanva/pseuds/sanva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Time travel isn’t logical, it’s just possible” is a phrase that is about to embody the lives of Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. A young aristocrat from New York in 1852 finds himself in the year 2005 where the world has changed drastically. He finds himself on a journey of self discovery as he discoveries just how much the world has changed in the past 150 years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Sketch In Time

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the movie ‘Kate and Leopold.’ Written for whenboymeetsboy.
> 
> Note: I’ve never been to New York, the Met, or been involved with the advertising industry. This was also my first long fiction in years prior to this point as well as my first J2 fic.
> 
> Originally Posted: 2-21-2009

  


 

New York — Tuesday, November 29, 2005

“Jen—Jensen what are you doing?” a perplexed worried voice came from across the room. Jensen glanced up and glared at his friend and roommate. The bald man moved to follow him as he walked around the room, throwing various items into a cardboard box in his hands. His friend had taken off his hat, but a coat and scarf remained on his person attesting to the cool weather outside.

Twenty-six year old Jensen Ackles wasn’t sure what he was doing, to be quite honest. His life had been turned upside down in a matter of hours and there was really only one thing he could do. Jensen ignored Mike for the moment as he continued to locate his personal belongings.

“Are you leaving? You can’t move out.” Mike placed his hand on Jensen’s shoulder forcing the other man to stop his near frantic perusal of the room.

“I can and I am.” Narrowed green eyes stared at Mike for a moment before Jensen shrugged Mike’s hand off forcefully.

“The lease! You’re on this lease!” Mike stammered as he tried to get in front of Jensen who was heading toward the long window that led to the fire escape.

“Maybe you should have thought about that before you decided that my boyfriend would make a good fuck toy!” Jensen dropped the cardboard box onto the floor. Mike winced at both Jensen’s words and the sound of something fragile breaking.

“I’ll admit that wasn’t my greatest decision . . . but I was drunk and high and so was he.” Mike was desperately attempting to come up with some excuse to stop Jensen from leaving. Jensen just unlocked the window and forced it as wide as it would go. “It was completely unplanned! We were talking about my research and he was interested in it and—“

“Please just stop!” Jensen turned from where he had been forcing the nearly too large box through the window. “I don’t want to know what happened. All I need to know is my friend slept with my boyfriend. That’s it. You need to grow up Mike.” The box slammed onto the fire escape, metal rattling with the impact. Jensen climbed out the tall window and turned in a half kneel to look at Mike. “This lifestyle! The drugs, drinking, and—god—your insane theories? You’re going to ruin your life.”

Mike stared at Jensen before making one last appeal. “I can’t afford to live here alone Jensen!”

Green eyes closed for a moment and Jensen ran his right hand over his face. “Look. I’m going to be staying with Chad downstairs for a few months. He’s off at some acting gig right now and told me I could house sit—he has that extra room anyway since Justin got the job in LA. I just can’t live with you right now.”

Jensen hefted his stuff up. “I’ll be back in a bit for more of my shit. Do me a favor and hook up with Tom elsewhere till I’m done.”

Mike flinched slightly at Jensen’s comments. He knew that what had happened between him and Tom was wrong. He wouldn’t argue with Jensen on that. Jensen had been his friend since college and he was pissed off at himself for getting drunk and high with Tom around. Mike had always had a bit of a thing for Jensen’s boyfriend, but he had never planned on making a move. Not while Tom was still dating Jensen anyway . . . the last thing he had wanted to do was hurt the other man.

 

 

New York – November 29, 1852

Dark lines glided smoothly onto off white paper, long fingers attached to large hands brushed away excess charcoal and blended too thick lines. A sigh broke the quietness of the room; the artist looked away from his work and through the window. Hazel eyes watched as horse drawn carts and people went about their daily lives. The sound of people, horses, and clattering wheels made its way through the thick glass paned window.

Jared Padalecki was of noble birth, born into money and a life of prestige. At the age of twenty-two he was well educated and known within his social circle for his quick mind. He was the middle child, though, making it ever important that he be worth something to the family. Jared’s schooling had focused on preparing him for joining the family business- to help his brother manage all of the Padalecki Family investments.

Jared sighed and dropped his sketch pad onto a chair. Dark lines formed the outline of the street, people and horse drawn carts traversed rough brick walkways and roads. He gently placed the charcoal piece away and removed the gloves he wore. Drawing up plans for his inventions was one thing, they could quite possibly bring the family wealth, but drawing for the sake of art was greatly discouraged by his father. The only thing his father seemed to be concerned about lately was finding Jared a bride.

A knock at the door startled Jared and he quickly closed his sketch pad. “Yes?”

The door was opening before he had a chance to acknowledge whoever was on the other side. Brown curls and swaths of pale pink cloth ran through the door and slammed into him. A pale pretty face with a bright smile grinned up at him.

“Megan!” his mother admonished his younger sister from the doorway, a small smile on her lips belying her disapproving tone.

“It is fine Mother.” Jared smiled down at his sister as he drew her away from him to get a better look. It had been almost two years since he had last seen her. Jared had only recently returned to the United States from studying in England. “It has been too long Meggie. I have a feeling Jeff and I will be needing to protect your honor quite soon.”

Her grin widened and she giggled. “I am too young to think about marriage!”

“Good.” Jared leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “I would hate to have to challenge someone to a duel.”

“Jared.” Sharon Padalecki drew the attention of her youngest son as she walked into the room, stopping behind Megan. “Your father would like to speak with you.” Sharon’s pale hands settled on her daughters shoulders, Megan glanced up at her with a slight pout. “Come along Megan, we have an appointment to keep with the Cassidy’s.”

Megan glanced over her shoulder as she followed her mother out and made a distasteful face.

Jared winced internally; he knew what his father wanted. The same thing Gerald Padalecki had been pestering him about for nearly two years now. In letters the topic was easily worked around or ignored. Now that he was once again in the same home as his father there would be little chance of Jared avoiding the topic.

Gerald Padalecki had already found a bride for his eldest and his only daughter was too young to marry off. Jared, on the other hand, was not even courting anyone yet. He was of suitable age for marriage and Gerald was looking to make an addition to his family’s assets. Finding a wealthy bride from a good family was expected of Jared. The sooner the better.

He ran a hand through his hair and glanced down at his clothes. Jared adjusted his sleeves of his jacket and smoothed his hands over his top to remove invisible wrinkles. There wasn’t a speck of charcoal dust on him. He nodded to himself and stood tall before walking out the door to meet with his father.

 

 

“A month?” Jared stared at his father incredulously. “You expect me to fall in love in a month?”

“No I do not.” Gerald stood behind the dark oak desk in his study. He was watching the people meandering on the street below his window. “I do not expect that you will fall in love. I expect that in one month’s time you will announce a suitable bride.”

“I know most everyone in our social circle, father. There is not a single woman that I can imagine spending the rest of my life with.” Jared glared at his father’s back, hands clenched at his side.

“You had best begin imagining, Jared, or I will make the decision for you.”

Gerald turned and surveyed his youngest son. Jared forced his hands open and watched his father’s face. “I heard that you have been working on a machine of some sort. That you are planning to apply for a patent.”

The change of subject was welcomed gladly and Jared nodded slightly. “I am.”

“I do hope that it is worthy of the Padalecki name.”

“It is.”

Gerald nodded and turned back to the window. Jared took this as an acceptable dismal and left his father’s study.

 

 

New York – Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Jensen groaned as his alarm clock sounded, the beeping noise entirely too loud for the time. Bleary green eyes blinked over the pillow to read the glowing digits. Six thirty in the morning. He shoved his face into the soft cotton fabric, arms moving beneath the pillow as he groaned.

After thirty more seconds of beeping noise a loud thump resounded against the wall across from him. He could barely make out the shouting voice of the woman next door. Jensen shoved his arms out from under the pillow and forced himself into a sitting position.

Bare feet landed on chilly wood floors as his right hand found the correct button on the clock. From there he picked up his silver framed glasses and slid them over the bridge of his nose.

He stared blankly at the clock for a moment before a noise from down the short hall caught his attention. Right, the timed coffee maker. Time to get up, get caffeinated, and head to work.

Two cups of coffee and a shower later Jensen began to sort through the items that he’d need for work today. He shoved a plain bagel into his mouth and double checked his planner with a frown. The Johnson account representatives were coming in on Thursday to discuss a magazine spread for their new line of skin care products. Jensen had gotten this account ready over a month ago in anticipation as the season was always busy due to the holidays.

He shifted through the folders he had placed on his desk and grimaced. He hadn’t left it at the office and everything had been completed to his boss’s satisfaction a month ago. That meant he had left it in his desk upstairs. Mike’s apartment. He checked his watch and sighed, there wasn’t enough time to go sort through the ever growing chaos that Mike lived in without Jensen’s presence. He’d have to stop by after work and hope the folder was semi-visible.

Jensen really did not want to end up cleaning Mike’s shit. He had enough problems with Chad’s apartment. There was a reason why he kept the actor’s door firmly shut, with a towel in front of it to keep the smell in. He had a feeling Chad had left at least half a pizza in there to mold.

He made sure the window next to the fire escape was firmly shut and locked before grabbing his brief case and heading out the door.

 

 

Jensen adjusted his dress shirt as he stared at the blinking display that told what floor the elevator was on. He grimaced as he checked the knot of his tie; it slipped up tightly before he loosened it again. Samantha Ferris, who worked down the hall from him, glanced over. He smiled slightly and dropped his hand to his side with a glance at the floor, then rolled his shoulders and lifted his gaze as the doors opened.

Jensen waited till Ms. Ferris had moved past him before exiting; he had to lift his right arm to stop the doors from sliding closed. Adjusting his glasses he cleared his throat before walking down the short hall to his office.

As Jensen reached his office door, the brunette at the nearest cubicle shot out of her chair. She slid a shiny magazine beneath a couple of folders and smiled brightly. He nodded and let her follow him into the room, watching as he set his brief case on the desk and hit the power button for the computer.

“Good morning Mr. Ackles,” Danneel purred with a wide grin.

Jensen glanced up at his secretary warily. She shoved a stack of papers in front of him and tilted her head to the side.

“Good morning Danneel,” he said as looked over the header. It was a memo from his boss.

“Guess who is here to oversee the Johnson account?” She rocked on her heal slightly, grin turning sly.

“They aren’t involving another lawyer are they?” Jensen frowned as he took the papers from her hand. He straightened them with a tap on the desk before beginning to peruse them.

“Jensen! Milo Ventimigilia’s here, he wants to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

“Milo Venti—Milo is here?” Jensen met her gaze, his eyes widened slightly. “You’re kidding me.”

“Nope.” She shook her head and pursed her lips. Her eyes glittered brightly, “I’m so not kidding you.”

Jensen glanced around her at the open door and flexed his hands. He wasn’t used to his boss standing over his shoulder; the man was usually at the London branch of the office. Jensen certainly wasn’t prepared for the pressure of his boss presiding over his work to this magnitude. His fingers ached to sort out the files that had damn well better be easy to locate in Mike’s apartment.

He settled for shooing Danneel back to her desk and triple checking the information he did have.

 

 

New York – December 29, 1852

Jared adjusted his shirt as he stared at himself in the small mirror above his bureau. He really was not looking forward to the party his father had planned. The party in itself was not the problem, the fact that he was going to announce his future wife on the other hand . . . that was the problem.

He ran a hand through his hair and grit his teeth. Jared had absolutely no clue as to who he was going to marry. Absolutely none. It was not as if he hadn’t met many wonderful women over the last month. On the contrary, Jared had attended every social event and several personal calls over the past month. It seemed as if every single eligible lady was being shoved toward him.

Gerald was particularly fond of coercing him into uncomfortable situations where he would be forced to interact with Sandra McCoy. Her family was quite wealthy and the dowry that she would bring was quite handsome. Jared just could not see himself spending the rest of eternity with the petite woman. She was sweet and dainty and he felt as if he might accidently break her with one misplaced step.

Jared had never wanted to marry for his father. He had hoped that he would be able to make his own decision as to whom he would exchange vows with. Love was something he wanted to have in his life, marrying for anything but was just unsettling.

His parents had been forced into their marriage and it had taken them years to come to what might be called love. They were partners that shared a home and a family first and foremost. Their marriage had been based on bringing her family a higher status and the Padalecki’s more wealth.

Jared was dreading the outcome of the evenings’ announcement. He could not imagine how he was going to live with himself past tonight. It felt as if the entire world was closing in around him.

 

 

Jared stood before the shop window and glowered at the contents. His father had insisted that he locate a gift to present to his future wife tonight. Something simple and elegant he had said. Jared knew what he should purchase, either jewelry or a finely crafted trinket of some sort.

So far he had seen nothing that caught his eye. The stores that he was perusing were filled with many wonderful objects, dozens of which the young women that Jared was supposed to be courting would positively adore. He just couldn’t find it within himself to buy a gift for a wife he had yet to even choose.

Jared sighed and titled his head, he could barely make out a small collection of art supplies at the back of the store he stood in front of. While attempting to get a better look his arm caught the raised arm of another man. A clatter snapped his eyes to his feet. Next to his right foot on the brick sidewalk a strange silver rectangular object was now submerged in the thin layer of mud and slush.

“Fuck,” the man mumbled causing Jared to turn his head sharply. The man eyed him warily as he snatched up the object. He was well dressed in clothes that were almost like those Jared wore but the design was slightly off. The fabric itself was unlike any Jared had ever seen before.

Barely audible apologies were mumbled and the shorter man took off, nearly losing his hat. Jared caught a glance of a hairless head in the afternoon sun.

“That was rather interesting.” Jared stared after the stranger an odd unsettling feeling in his stomach. It felt as if something important was about to happen. Jared couldn’t imagine what that could possibly be.

“Jared Padalecki!” a small squeal of delight broke him from his thoughts. Jared snapped his head to the left eyeing the woman who had spoken.

He straightened and reached out to take her hand. Jared brushed a light kiss to the back of her knuckles and smiled at the young woman. “Sandra McCoy. This is quite a pleasant surprise to see you.”

She lifted her hand to hide a smile and blushed prettily, just the way that a young woman was supposed to. Jared cringed internally and added a greeting for the two women that came up beside Sandra whispering and giggling slightly. He felt uneasy under their gaze.

“I am looking forward to the party tonight,” Sandra stated pleasantly. She blinked up at him, gloved hands folded around the end of a long scarf. “I heard that you are going to be making an announcement of some sort?”

Her questioning gaze wasn’t helping his awful mood at all. Jared nodded looking down at her, his smile wide and bright. “That I will and I can assure you it will be quite a surprise.”

She grinned back up at him her dark eyes bright and smile brilliant. He wondered if she knew just how much his father was pushing for him to marry her. She probably knows that he is quite well, Jared thought nearly letting his internal grimace shine through his mask.

 

 

Jared adjusted the collar of his dress suit and shrugged his shoulders. Only a couple more hours and his fate would be sealed. A rustling of paper brought his attention to his bed. His younger sister was lying across it looking through his sketchbook. She smiled at him, meeting his gaze.

“This are very good Jared!” He smiled and crossed the room to stand beside her. “You should display these somewhere.”

“Being an artist is not for me.” Jared slipped the book out of her fingers. She pouted up at him through her dark curls. “Drawing is a hobby, nothing more.”

Megan’s pout turned to a light scowl. “I think you could make a living with your art. I have seen art Jared. My friend Katherine’s parents have a large collection. They have works from all the greatest artists in the world. These sketches are just as good if not more so.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, my dear little sister.” Jared tapped her nose. “They are a hobby, I am to join Jeffery in the family business and marry a beautiful woman.”

“Father should not be able to force you into a life you want no part of.”

“Megan,” Jared settled his hand down on her shoulder, “this is our life, my life. I will do what is expected of me.”

“Jeff is the oldest and he is already married with a child on the way.” She pushed herself into a sitting position and adjusted her skirts. “You and I are not important. I will be wed and will join another family. That is all that is expected of me, but you . . . you are the second born son. Jared, you should be able to choose your life.”

“Wise words, if only that were the way the world worked.” Jared smiled sadly down at her. “You should go get ready for the party. I must go find father to discuss tonight’s events.”

“You do not have any idea who you will propose marriage to, do you?”

Jared chuckled slightly. “No, I do not.”

 

 

Jared smiled weakly at a couple of young ladies who stood near the bottom of the stairs. They giggled softly to each other as they shot glances at him. Jared unconsciously straightened his back and widened his grin.

“There you are, sir.” A middle aged man appeared at his side. “I have your dance card ready.”

“Thank you Otis.” Jared inclined his head. “Though I doubt I will manage even half before Father insists I make the announcement.”

“Marriage is not the end of the world, Jared.”

He turned his face to the side and met Otis’ gaze. The elder man nodded and pointed Jared toward his first dance partner.

Jared relaxed slowly as he moved through the repetitive motions ingrained into him as a child. Dancing had been something he had excelled at before his unwieldy teenage years. Now that he had grown into his remarkable height and long limbs, Jared was once again quite graceful. His dance partners were just as graceful in their movements. Skirts twirled around ankles, fair skin bright in the soft electric lighting. Their dainty hands seemed extra small when they met his large paws.

Going through the motions was the only thing Jared could do. If he didn’t he would not… a familiar figure caught his eye as the dance steps brought him near the entryway.

The man from the store front held his silver rectangle over another guests shoulder before turning around. He looked nervous and very out of place. The man was not a guest of the party and certainly did not belong in the Padalecki family home.

“Wha—“ The petite blonde Jared was currently partnered with exclaimed her eyes wide. Jared ignored her as he pulled them into the crowd at the edge of the dance floor. He dropped her gloved fingers and headed into the throng of people, hazel eyes searching.

 

 

If Jared had known at the time what following the odd man would lead to, he would never have believed it. As it was he could hardly hold in his anger at the man he was currently trying to keep a hold on. One large hand was clenched in the soft sleeve of the man’s coat and his other holding onto the scaffolding against the new bridge.

“Just let go! Its fine I promise! I’m not trying to kill myself- I’ll be just fine!” Jared clenched his teeth and glared as the man’s free hand attempted to remove Jared’s fingers.

“If you think I am going to let you fall you are an _idiot_!” Jared fingers were turning white with strain. “You clearly must be inebriated to think that jumping off a bridge is a good idea!”

“Just let me go! Seriously, it’s better than both of—” he was cut off as the strain of two adult men hanging off the scaffolding edge was more than it had been built to support.

The hand railing Jared was grasping broke and he lost his balance. Both his hands were suddenly aching in release as they opened to the cool night air. Moments later, Jared found himself tumbling head over heels towards the cold water below.

 

 

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Jensen crashed face first onto the worn couch in Chad’s apartment with a loud groan. His boss had dropped by just before it was time for him to get off work. Milo Ventimigilia was an efficient boss and tended to come down hard on his employees regarding important clientele. The Johnson account was extremely important to Milo and the company; he had made that very clear to Jensen.

His keys dropped from his loose fingers and crashed against the floor. Jensen lifted his face from the cushion and wrinkled his nose at an unidentifiable scent.

Lifting himself up Jensen cracked his back in an attempt to ease his growing head ache. After staying late at the office—an extra three hours—Milo had insisted on buying him dinner for keeping him late. It had been a good meal and he had learned a bit about his boss’s hobbies and investments. Jensen figured it meant that he wasn’t in trouble of losing his job anytime soon if he was making friends with his boss.

He had been too late to catch Mike before he headed out for the night. Jensen really needed to get the file from upstairs but he felt awkward just waltzing in, even though he was still paying a portion of the rent.

A large thump against the ceiling shifted his attention to the present and Jensen frowned. Mike’s recently acquired stray dog, Harley, hadn’t started barking so it had to be someone he knew. That pretty much left Jensen, Mike, and unfortunately Tom.

Jensen pushed himself off the couch and headed to the fire escape. He really hoped it was Mike. There was a bit of snow on the railing but almost none on the stairway so Jensen didn’t bother with anything more than a hooded sweatshirt before he went out the window and headed upstairs.

He couldn’t really see much through the blinds that covered the large pane of glass. Tilting his head Jensen was barely able to make out Mike half dragging a very large—probably drunk—body into Jensen’s old room. They didn’t have very many friends that tall and didn’t take much thought to deduce who it probably was.

To say he was upset would probably be an understatement. It was one thing to have Tom over, but it was an entirely different thing to let him sleep off a night of binge drinking in Jensen’s room.

He barely stopped himself from forcing the window open and dragged his cell phone out of his pocket.

Jensen ignored the sounds of Mike’s cursing and Harley’s bark as he heard the faint sound of Mike’s obnoxious ring tone. He leaned against the rough brick of the building and glared at the apartment across the alley.

“J—Jensen?” Mike’s voice hissed softly into the phone.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Jensen’s breath was visible in the clear night air.

“Uh,” a few beats of silence and a thump later Jensen heard a door close, “I just got home . . . so I’m cleaning up?”

“Dragging Tom here after a night out partying and letting him sleep in my bed is cleaning up?”

“Wha—Are you watching me?” Mike exclaimed and moments later the window opened. Jensen glared at him, snapping the cell shut.

“I need to grab a folder that I apparently left here.” Jensen shoved past Mike into the warm apartment. “Tom better not wake up or there’ll be hell to pay.”

“Tom? He’s not here—“

“I’m not an idiot Mike,” Jensen announced as he shifted through the large pile of papers on his old desk. He was glad that it was situated in the living room but annoyed that Mike hadn’t wasted time in covering the entire surface with his ‘work’—babblings and insane equations that lead nowhere. “I saw you dragging his sorry ass in there. It’s bad enough you brought him here, but my room?”

“Him? You mean—oh!” Mike looked around a nervously. “You mean that guy?” A laugh that was more like a bark filled the air. “That’s not Tom! That’s just this guy I met. No—no not for sex or anything!” He exclaimed at Jensen’s startled look. “I met him at a convention. A group of us hung out after and he was too drunk to remember the way to the hotel—“

“And you’re playing Good Samaritan?” Jensen raised an eyebrow as he sifted through the bottom drawer of the desk.

“He seemed like a nice guy and I couldn’t just leave him—“

“I really don’t want to know Mike.” Jensen held up the thick folder. “I’ll leave you to it . . . as long as he’s not Tom.”

“He’s not.” Mike let out a large sigh as he watched Jensen maneuver out onto the fire escape. He ran his hand over his face and sighed. An impatient whine from the kitchen brought him back to reality.

Mike glared at the upset dog tiredly. Harley just laid his head on the top of the plastic gate and lolled his tongue out the side of his mouth. Another whine and dark brown eyes stared at him beseechingly.

“Fine, I’ll take you out.”

 

 

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Normally Jared is a morning person. He usually is wide awake and clear headed only minutes after sun rise, sketchbook out and lost in his art long before someone is sent after him. Today is not like a regular day, his head is thick and off, his mind groggy with sleep. The bed he was on was also quite comfortable.

When Jared finally managed to open his eyes nothing he sees is familiar. He was lying on a bed, the blankets are strange, not in a bad way, the fabric was just off. The room was devoid of light and it took a moment for Jared’s eyes to adjust. That moment is when the memories of the previous night’s events come back to him.

Jared pushed himself upright and blinked as he surveyed the room. Like the bedspread beneath him the curtains were a dark blue color. A wooden dresser sat off to the left of the bed near two doors. He ran a hand over his face and tried to orientate himself. Obviously the strange man, or someone else, had taken him to their home after the fall.

A groan escaped his lips as he levered himself up off the bed. The abnormally comfortable bed. Jared was not looking forward to facing his father. Not only had he left and not come home, he had run out of the party he was to announce his engagement during.

He ran his hands across his chest, adjusting his rumpled clothing. All of Jared’s clothes were still on his person, none of his personal affects seemed to have been purloined either. His boots lay on the floor a few feet from the bed, Jared noticed before pushing his feet into them haphazardly.

His jaw felt stiff as a yawn escaped his lips. Jared slipped his fingers through his hair and stumbled making his way to the window. The drapes were dark enough to block out the sun, a thick likely expensive material.

Jared was thankful for his height as there was no way to pull the drapes open other than to carefully slide them across the dowel. He blinked owlishly as his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight.

 

 

Mike was staring at the coffee maker, willing it to hurry up and finish already. Beside him Harley was pacing and hopping slightly. He had only been up for a short period of time and had barely gotten any sleep the night before. There was just too much on his mind.

After some careful calculations Mike had figured out exactly what to do regarding his current predicament. At least, he had come to conclusions on how to solve it eventually. Mike hadn’t really thought about what would happen till that time came to be.

Which was why the startled ‘yelp’ and large thud from Jensen’s old room caused Mike to jump backwards and nearly fall over Harley. Mike scrambled out of the kitchen, knocking over the plastic kiddy gate, and down the hall. Harley whined low in his throat and bounded after, clicking nails skidding on hard wood floors.

The sight that greeted the odd pair was a wide eyed giant of a man laying sprawled back with his shoulders on the bed, the rest of him in an ungainly sprawl against it. Mike should have thought about how the man would react upon seeing a world vastly different from his own.

Mike was at a loss for words as he stared at the younger man, who was clearly in a state of shock and confusion. Harley, however, only saw a potential playmate. With a short bark he made his way into the room to sniff this new human.

A pink tongue and a dark brown nose pushed itself into Jared’s face and startled him. Jared drew back sharply causing Harley to take a step back and pause in his affections. Moments later his enthusiasm at meeting Jared returned three fold as he squirmed into the man’s space. Large paws settled onto Jared’s chest, tongue lapping at his face.

The movement of the rambunctious dog broke Mike from his stupor. “Bad dog! Get over here—Harley, get off him!”

Mike snagged the dog by his collar and bodily dragged the large puppy away from the other man. “Sorry about him, I usually keep him penned up when people are over.”

Jared lifted wide hazel eyes from the enthusiastic dog and stared at Mike for a long moment.

“Where . . . who . . . what,” he took a shuddering breath as he attempted to pull himself upright. The bed next to him had been knocked slightly askew. “Where am I?”

 

 

“The future.”

Mike nodded fervently from his seat across from Jared at the kitchen table, two mugs of coffee sat between them. “December 22, 2005, to be exact. Oh and it’s Thursday.”

Jared stared at Mike, his hand wrapped around the mug in front of him. “You are out of your mind.” His voice was calm and dazed, Mike blinked at him.

“No, I’m not. Look, I know that this seems impossible but I’m telling you the truth. It’s something that I’ve been working on. A theory about time travel.” Mike shuffled a large pile of paper next to him on the table. He pulled out a few that were covered in untidy scrawl and illegible diagrams.

“Time travel . . .” Jared dropped a hand off the table. He batted at Harley’s nose where it rested against his thigh. The dog shoved his muzzle beneath Jared’s long fingers.

“You see there are all these portals… holes in time that open periodically. They’re like doors to another period of time. All you have to do is find them, which isn’t easy. I figured it out though—how to tell when and where one of these portals is going to open!”

Jared lifted his eyes from the papers and stared at Mike. “You are insane.”

“No, no, no! I’m not insane.” Mike slammed his hands down on the table. Harley skidded back a pace as the table rocked, cool coffee splashing out of the mugs. “I found a portal that took me back to December 29, 1852. While there I did a bit of sightseeing, took some pictures and you saw me.”

“You had something,” Jared frowned, “in your hand, you dropped it on the street.”

“My camera, digital camera, I can hook it up to the—” Mike paused and cleared his throat. “We made huge advancements in the technology since your time. I was just gathering proof of my visit.”

“Why am I here?”

“You followed me, I didn’t plan on taking you back here with me.” Mike scratched behind his ear and rubbed the back of his neck. “You sort of just fell through the portal with me. Don’t worry though! I can get you back to your own time.”

“My own time.” Jared slid his chair back and moved to stand. “I really should get going. My father will be very upset with me as it is for—“

“Aren’t you listening to me?” Mike practically flew across the table and grabbed Jared’s arms. Jared drew back at the sharp movement startled and stared down at the other man. “You are in another time. You can’t go home yet. There is no home for you to go to in this time!”

 

 

The next half hour or so was filled with Mike showing Jared every amenity from the toilet to the television and the microwave to the air conditioner unit with Harley trailing behind them. Everything went by so fast that Jared could barely make heads or tails of it all. Eventually the two made it to the living room where Mike pushed Jared down onto the couch.

The young man was in a state of shock, but the shock was slowly turning into acceptance. There really wasn’t any way that Jared could deny the fact that this world was nothing like the one he lived in. There were so many details that were wrong and so many things that Jared had never heard of—he had to accept that this was the future. That Mike wasn’t lying.

Around this time Harley started to jump around impatiently and whine. He danced around the living room nosing the two men.

“All right, all right.” Mike snagged the leash from the coffee table and snapped it onto the dog’s collar. “I need to take this guy for a walk. I won’t be long though . . . you can watch some TV or something while I’m gone—“

“Is there anything I could borrow to draw with?” Jared lifted his eyes from the box like contraption with the moving pictures in it—Mike had called it a television.

Mike blinked and nodded, he rummaged through a desk drawer for a moment before producing a partially used drawing pad and a few pencils and pens. “Will these work?”

Jared nodded and took them. He ran his fingers over the smooth paper and lifted one of the pens up to inspect.

“Uh, I’ll only be gone like half an hour max. So, uh, don’t leave the apartment or anything—all right?”

Jared nodded absently as Mike made his way out the door. Drawing would help him center his mind and figure out this new twist in his life. Drawing would help him keep his sanity.

To Mike’s credit he really did plan on just being gone less than half an hour. He really couldn’t have known, or planned, for the mass elevator failure that seemed to be plaguing the world this morning. Although he really should have paid a bit more attention because stepping into an empty elevator shaft was a really idiotic move.

It really wasn’t Mike’s fault that he was gone from the apartment for over an hour or that Harley was left alone to wander the halls till Jensen stumbled upon him on his way down the stairs to work.

 

 

Two large paws planted on Jensen’s stomach as Harley greeted him on the stairway landing to the floor below his. Jensen dropped his briefcase and braced himself as best that he could. The excited puppy pushed and jumped as far as he could up to lick at Jensen.

“What are you doing out here by yourself?” Jensen snagged Harley’s collar with one hand and his leash with the other. He gained control over the ungainly pup and forced him down. Harley’s tail swiped at light speed across the dusty floor, his tongue lolling out excitedly as he stared up at Jensen.

“Where the hell is Mike?”

Groaning inwardly about being late Jensen was nearly dragged down the hallway to his old apartment. He eyed a suspicious wet streak and a small puddle by the door of a nearby apartment—a widower with a miniature poodle.

When he reached the door to Mike’s apartment Jensen realized he had two choices. He could open the door with his key or knock first. Knowing that he was short on time as it was Jensen opted for the second option.

“Mike! What the fuck man?” Jensen pushed the door open and let Harley bounce through. He slammed it shut and stalked into the apartment. “What were you thinking leaving Harley . . .”

When he reached the living room at the other side of the apartment Jensen realized two things. The first was that Mike was nowhere to be seen and second was that there was a very tall and very handsome stranger in period clothing was standing in front of the couch.

 

 

The lines on the paper were thin and precise. The pencils Mike had given him before leaving were very thin and very sharp. The quality wasn’t quite as good as what Jared was used to, but he didn’t care. The shapes appearing on the paper were playing out a scene: the bedroom Jared had woken up in this morning with the man, Mike, and his dog in the entry.

The dog’s, Harley’s, form was just beginning to take shape. Excitement and happiness covering the stilled movement of limbs were appearing on the page when the door to the apartment opened sharply. Jared stood slowly expecting Mike when an unfamiliar voice met his ears.

”Mike! What the fuck man? What were you thinking leaving Harley . . .”

Jared had dropped the pad of paper to the table in front of the couch; the pencil still gripped between the fingers of his right hand. The man walking down the short hall towards him was most certainly not Mike. Harley bounded in and nudged his hand with a short whine before dancing back to the stranger.

The man before him was tall, taller than Mike. His clothes were neat and unwrinkled, a pressed white shirt under a long leather coat over grey dress pants, a black leather piece of luggage at his side. A scarf wrapped around his neck and gloves peered out of a pocket. His skin was clean, face shaved, and dirty blonde, almost brown, hair cut short and styled. Lightly colored freckles danced across the pale skin of his cheeks and nose.

“Where’s Mike?” Green eyes looked at him expectantly, breaking Jared out of his stare.

“Mike went out with Harley.” Jared glanced down at the young dog. Brown eyes looked up at him pleading. “He said he would be about half an hour. That was about an hour ago.”

“Well Mike isn’t around and someone needs to take Harley out.”

Jared glanced back up at the man and frowned. “Mike told me I should not leave the apartment.”

“Yeah, well Mike is an irresponsible asshole.” A hand held the leash out to Jared urging him to take it. “I have to go to work and Harley is Mike’s dog not mine. Since Mike is nowhere to be found and you’re crashing here you can take the dog for a walk.”

Jared took the leash and eyed him skeptically. “Who are you?”

A careless roll of brilliant green eyes was the response as the man turned around and headed back to the door, “I’m Mike’s ex-roommate, Jensen Ackles. You slept in my old room last night . . . technically still mine though. I’m still paying part of the rent.”

“I am Jared Padalecki, it is pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Jared followed and stopped at the door as the man, Jensen, paused raising an eyebrow at him.

“Nice to meet you too, Jared. It’s pretty chilly outside, aren’t you going to grab a jacket?”

Jared glanced down at his clothes and frowned. “I am not quite sure where Mike put my jacket . . . to be honest I do not remember taking it off.”

“Right.” Jensen snorted. “He was probably all too happy to see you without it.” He pushed past Jared into his old room and opened the closet door. “This probably won’t fit you really well, and it isn’t very fashionable either,” He eyed Jared for a moment. “Not that you probably care . . .”

“Why would Mike be happy to see me without a coat?”

Jensen blinked and looked up at Jared as he held out a thick wool jacket and a brightly colored scarf. “You, well, you’re kind of his type. Well anything that breathes with a dick is his type.” A light blush spread over freckled cheeks.

“I am his type?” Jared donned the coat and scarf, pulling at the too short cuffs.

“Yeah, his type of guy. Just like my ex-boyfriend was Mike’s type of guy,” Jared glanced up sharply at Jensen.

“Boyfriend, he courted your . . . fiancé?” Jared asked awkwardly. The whole concept was a new one to him.

“Who? Uh, Tom was not my fiancé. Sure we dated for about three years, and I might have been a bit in love with him, but it isn’t like we were going to get married.” Jensen started out of the apartment quickly. Jared followed pausing at the door. “Apparently we weren’t as serious as I thought if Tom was willing to cheat on me with my best friend.”

Jensen paused and frowned a bit before digging his keys out of his pocket. “I guess you don’t have any way back in, Mike trusted you enough to leave you alone in the apartment, so I think I can trust you with a key. ‘Side’s I can always blame it on Mike if you do steal anything.”

“You were in a long term relationship with another man.”

Jensen looked up at Jared through narrowed eyes, the hand that held the key drew back slightly, “Yes, I’m gay . . . homosexual. That’s not a problem is it?”

“No! No that is not a problem.” Jared shook his head and took the key. “I just have not met anyone . . . open about such topics before. It was a bit startling.”

“You met Mike,” Jensen pointed out as they entered the lobby. “He pretty much fucks anything that moves.”

Harley pulled on the leash, straining against Jared as they got closer to the front doors. Jared’s mind was spinning at the odd twists the world had taken over the years. His fingers itched for something to draw with to help make sense of all the new.

“You all right?” Jensen asked as they paused on the sidewalk out front. Harley sniffed at a strangers pant leg as they passed.

Jared glanced over at him and nodded. He straightened his back and watched Jensen as he flipped open a small black object. “I am fine, thank you.”

“Look—Jared—I’ve got to get to work. There’s a small park about two blocks down across from an electronics store. You can take Harley there,” Jensen turned to walk down the street and Harley pulled Jared after him.

“The other way.” Jensen nodded over his shoulder. “Better be quick or he might go here.”

 

 

Jensen was late to work on one of the most important days of his employment. Striding past Danneel into his office he placed his briefcase on his desk with a ‘thud’. A sigh escaped his lips as his secretary practically skipped into the room.

“You’re _late_ ,” she sang with a smirk. “Big night with the boss?”

“What? No.” Jensen frowned sorting through the folders for the correct one. “Milo and I had dinner—that’s all.”

“Oh, then why are you all flustered?”

He held the file out for her to take. “Make the pertinent copies. I need them for the meeting in an hour.”

Danneel raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at him and made no move to take the folder.

Jensen sighed. “Mike let his dog roam around the building alone. I had to show his friend where to take Harley because Mike did a disappearing act.”

“Friend?” Danneel snatched the folder and grinned at him. “Cute friend?”

Jensen ignored her and turned on his computer.

“Oh come on, throw me some gossip here!” Danneel pouted. “I’m utterly bored in this office without the gossip.”

He rolled his eyes and nodded slightly. “Cute but straight. He was shocked when I mentioned I was gay.”

“Shocked bad?”

“More like he had never even considered the concept before.” Jensen shrugged. “He’s Mike’s friend and there is no way I am even considering it. Not after Tom. I’m just fine being a single man.”

“You totally think this guy is hot,” Danneel stated with a wide grin before leaving.

Jensen ran a hand over his face and sighed. He needed a cup of coffee, badly.

 

 

The park that Jensen had been speaking of had been nothing more than a small patch of grass and a few trees. Jared had barely managed to avoid a ticket from a police officer that had insisted he pick up Harley’s excrement. She had let him off with a warning after producing a suitable bag, after he explained that the dog’s owner had not given him anything to use- nor had they even mentioned the necessity of it.

Her face had turned bright red when he spoke to her though Jared had done his best to be polite and courteous during their interaction. It was odd seeing the roles that women had taken in society. Their manner of dress and attitudes were vastly different from those of the women he knew. Sandra McCoy would never have even considered donning any sort of pant let alone work a full day’s work.

It had taken a bit to get used to, he still was getting awed by all the differences of time period. In addition to the mannerisms and dress of the people around him, the beat of the world was different. Fast paced transportation—mechanical wagons of some type—moved to a rhythm of stops and starts through the streets. People walked on the sidewalk talking into small objects—phones—while others rode bikes or used shoes with wheels attached. It took Jared over an hour to reach the park and then return to the building where Mike and Jensen lived.

Jensen had really startled Jared with nearly every word that had exited the man’s mouth. It was a bit shocking to hear someone speak so plainly about their sexual proclivities. The fact that Jensen and Mike both seemed to be open about their preference for relations with other men boggled Jared’s mind. The concept was just never one that he had ever considered. It just was not done.

When Jared arrived back at the tall brick building there were several brightly colored and large vehicles out front. The writing on the long red one declared it as belonging to the fire brigade.

Harley woofed slightly and pulled Jared towards the door as several men exited the building with a stretcher between them. He pulled on the leash to restrain the dog and recognized the injured man.

“Mike? What happened?”

“Jared what are you doing outside?” Mike blinked owlishly his pupils dilated. Jared followed him to one of the emergency vehicles. “You need to wait in my apartment. You can’t be outside! This won’t take long I promise. Just go back inside and stay put. I’ll be back in time to get you home!”

“Will he be all right?”

One of the men turned to him as Mike was loaded into the ambulance. “He broke a leg and at the very least fractured his collar bone. We’re taking him to Bellevue Hospital for treatment. Are you family or a friend?”

“A friend of sort. I was going to be staying with him for a week.”

“Well, you’ll have to contact the hospital for visiting hours then.”

“What exactly happened to cause his injuries?” Jared asked before the EMT could jump in behind Mike.

“He fell down the elevator shaft.” The man shrugged. “I guess the door malfunctioned and he wasn’t paying attention. He just walked right out into open space. To be honest he was pretty lucky the elevator was only two floors down, any farther and he might not be alive.”

 

 

The meeting was going well; Jensen’s proposal seemed to be exactly what the Johnson Corporation was looking for. The advertisement had taken five straight months of research and brainstorming. He had finished in time for the original deadline over a month ago only to have it pushed back due to financial deliberations. Now that he was finally able to present the story board, budget, and a hurried time table Jensen was a nervous wreck. He hid it well.

Everything was going smoothly until he got to the most important section of the proposal: the models. Jensen had spent weeks going over the correct look and attitude to portray the product. The problem? Mr. Morgan, the representative from the Johnson Corporation, didn’t like the proposed (and panel accepted) male model.

“No. He looks like he’s about to crush her,” Morgan leaned back in his chair tapping his fingers along the glass table. “It’s too . . . rough. That isn’t our product.”

“Mr. Morgan, your product is a line of lotions and creams. Studies show that sexy sells.” Milo tilted his head and motioned to the board where various photos were adhered. “That’s sexy.”

“It isn’t the sort of sexy that will be advertising this product line.”

Jensen frowned inwardly and surveyed the older man, listening to the discussion.

“It’s a skin care line, our product is calming, meant to soothe and replenish—“

“Gentle, gentle sexy,” Jensen spoke up. “I’m sorry for interrupting, but I have a few ideas . . .”

 

 

“Very nice, Jensen.” Milo grinned. Mr. Morgan and the others in his party had just left, agreeing to return on the twenty-sixth to look over a revised set of models. “You have a very keen eye.”

“I’m only doing what I was trained to do.” Jensen smiled slightly as he gathered his papers together.

“Not everyone in this field has your talent with advertising and ability in business. I’m surprised you aren’t running your own company.”

Jensen paused as he shut his briefcase and looked up at Milo. The man was watching him with intent dark brown eyes, a relaxed expression on his face. He shrugged. “I wanted to own my own business once that was a long time ago though.”

“Anything in particular? You seem to be a bit . . . artistic.”

Jensen laughed. “I can advertise and arrange things. Put me behind anything other than a computer program where I can manipulate existing art and all you get are doodles.” A grin spread across his face as he followed Milo into the hall. “I’m no Picasso either.”

Milo laughed back and rested his hand between Jensen’s shoulders as he grinned. “With your ability, you could be just as famous in the advertising world.”

Jensen glanced at Milo as his boss dropped his hand and walked off.

“He so wants you,” Danneel said matter of fact rocking on her heels.

Jensen turned sharply to glare at her. “He does not!”

“It’s your river,” she shrugged and shoved a piece of paper under his nose. “Your extremely annoying and perverted ex-roommate just called. He said something about a motorcycle, time travel, breaking his leg, and a giant. I think he might have been high.”

 

 

Mike stared at the television and fumed. The nurse was insane. He had been unable to get access to a phone but once and the only person he could get a hold of was Jensen’s secretary of all people.

Jensen’s very obnoxious secretary who hated his guts. Not that he didn’t deserve the hate, Mike slept with Jensen’s boyfriend after all. Mike could only hope that Danneel actually took his note down word for word.

 

 _Jensen,_

 _Watch Jared for me. He was with the Harley outside. I broke my leg and the giant is alone. The Time traveler is due Thursday. Keep Jared out of trouble._

 _Bald Bastard_

 

Jensen raised an eyebrow and looked up at Danneel. “Did he say how he broke his leg—or where he was at?”

She shrugged. “The nurse that interrupted him didn’t seem too thrilled that he was on the phone to begin with.” Danneel grinned at him. “So, who’s Jared?”

“Mike’s friend, he seemed more than capable of looking out for himself this morning.” Jensen shoved the note in his pocket and shrugged on his coat. “I’ll check on him, but I’m sure Mike is over reacting about the situation.”

 

 

The cursory and much abbreviated tour of the apartment Mike had given did nothing to alleviate the alien quality of practically everything. Fumbling around the kitchen Jared eventually had some toast and eggs via trial and error. It took a while for him to figure out the stove and Harley was very happy to eat the burnt bread as Jared had yet to find the dog food.

The television was one device that Jared found fascinating. The moving pictures told numerous stories and even gave a direct connection to events happening all over the world. It was just astounding and slightly shocking due to the wide variety of subjects displayed on the screen.

Jared sat awkwardly on the couch in front of the TV, fingers stroking Harley’s ears as he had been unable to keep the dog off the couch. The entire world seemed to be at his finger tips through the television, it made everything seem smaller in an odd way.

The sketchpad sat across his lap almost awkwardly as his fingers fumbled trying to capture everything that was going on in his mind. Slowly, sharp lines formed delicate sketches across the crisp white paper. It would be hours before Jared would stumble into the room he had woken up in and collapse onto the very comfortable bed.

 

 

Friday, December 23, 2005

Leaning his forehead against the off white cabinet, Jensen stared at the coffee pot as it drew close to being done. There were slight dark smudges under his eyes from lack of sleep and his slim silver framed glasses were perched on his nose. He had fallen asleep at his desk going through numerous model portfolios, trying to find the perfect man for the Johnson advertisement. Falling asleep with his contacts in hadn’t been a good move as his eyes were now irritated and a bit red. Jensen hoped he’d be able to slip his contacts in before today’s meeting.

The coffee pot’s alarm went off signifying its readiness to be devoured. Jensen poured himself a mug full and then filled a travel mug to the brim. Downing the black coffee in record time he unplugged the machine and rinsed off the mug before heading out.

He really had meant to check on Jared yesterday before bed, but work had a greater priority over Mike’s friends or play mates—Jensen still wasn’t a hundred percent sure which Jared was. It only took him a few minutes to make his way downstairs and to his old apartment. Five knocks later there was still no one coming to the door.

Jensen sighed and opened his wallet, he didn’t usually break into places but he was paying half the bills so it wasn’t really illegal. If anything had been damaged or stolen it would be at least partially his fault. The lock clicked easily and Jensen was glad for all those times he and his roommates had locked themselves out of their dorm rooms in college.

Harley pounced on him as soon as the door was open, his tail wagging happily and tongue licking out as far as it could go. “Hey boy, get down. Down Harley!”

“Jared? Hey Jared, are you still here?” Jensen made his way down the short hallway with Harley bouncing at his heels.

“Jensen?”

He started as the door to the bathroom pushed open and Jared appeared. The taller man was wearing a tight t-shirt, one of the few items Jensen had left in the closet, along with a pair of jeans that were a couple inches too short. His hair was freshly washed and the dark brown strands fell messily around his ears. A day or so growth of stubble peppered his chin, upper lip, and lower cheeks. It took Jensen a few moments to tear his eyes away from the lines of Jared’s physique.

“I borrowed some articles of clothing I found in the closet. I did not . . . I mean I lost my luggage. I hope that is alright.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Jensen nodded raising his eyes to meet Jared’s hazel ones. A blush spread across his cheeks. “That happens all the time, happened to me the last time I flew to Texas.”

Jared nodded slightly and lifted his hand up between them, his fingers curled awkwardly around a can of shaving cream. He cleared his throat after a few seconds, “I am not familiar with this type of container.”

Jensen frowned and raised an eyebrow. “You’ve never used a can of shaving cream?”

“Uh,” Jared dropped his hand and shifted slightly, “not of this sort, I prefer a more . . . conservative type.”

“Conservative? Like, the old fashioned creams with the brushes?”

“Yes, the kind with brushes and a blade.” Jared’s cheeks colored slightly in embarrassment.

“You must be used to a really clean cut then. Here.” Jensen snatched the bottle out of Jared’s hand and lifted his large hand between them with the palm up. He gave a short explanation as he showed him how to spray it. “It isn’t really that hard. If it starts sputtering make sure to get a new one at the store, although there may be some extras under the sink. There should be some disposable razors down there as well.

“Thank you very much, Jensen, you saved me a lot of time.” Jared grinned at him as he took the shaving cream back.

“Yeah, no problem. Uh, I got a call yesterday about Mike being in the hospital. It was a bit disjointed but I gather you’re going to be here for about a week?”

Jared nodded. “That I am. I was planning on staying with Mike while I visited. I hope it is not a bother for me to be staying here.”

“Not for me, as long as you don’t destroy the apartment or anything. Just make sure to take Harley out every few hours or when he asks. Did you find the dog food?” Jensen watched as Jared rummaged under the sink.

“No, I gave Harley some table scraps last night. I have yet to eat this morning.”

“It’s in the top cabinet to the right of the refrigerator. Make sure not to leave it out or he’ll just scarf the entire container down at once.”

Jared nodded as he pulled out a pack of cheap razors. “I can use one of these?”

“Yep, they are nowhere near as good as a real razor but they do in a pinch.” Jensen tried to stop his eyes from tracing the lines of Jared’s back. He cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly. A classic rock ringtone burst into the relative quiet of the apartment startling them. Jensen slipped out his phone and flipped it open.

“Just the alarm in case I overslept.” Jensen glanced up. Jared’s eyes were on his phone, an odd expression on his face.

“Does that take pictures?”

“Uh, yeah it does.” Jensen flipped it open again and selected the camera option. He showed Jared where the camera was on the front and the screen that showed what the camera was aimed at. He snapped a quick shot of the other man and showed it to him. The younger man’s slanted eyes were intent and wide with curiosity. Jensen almost felt sorry for how fascinated he was with a simple camera phone.

“Jared, I’m sorry but I’ve got to head to work. I have a meeting with my boss scheduled for this afternoon and I really need to prepare for it.”

Jared nodded as Jensen slipped his phone into his jacket pocket. “I should probably finish here anyway.” He motioned with his shaving cream filled hand.

“Right.” Jensen gave Harley a pat as he made his way to the door. “Make sure not to lose the key when you go out.”

 

 

“Hello Michael Rosenbaum. I’m your nurse for today, Allison. How are you feeling?” A cute blonde stood at the end of his hospital bed looking over his chart. Mike groaned inwardly as he watched her double check his pill regiment.

“I feel fine . . . I just want to go home.”

Allison frowned at him. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible for a few more days. The fall gave you a horrible concussion in addition to those broken bones. We need to keep you here for observation.”

She lifted a tray over his lap and set it up. A plastic plate with a well rounded breakfast was placed on his lap along with a small container of about six different pills.

“You need to take these with water and eat afterwards.” She stood there watching him for a few moments as he glared at her. “I have to see you take the pills, sir.”

“I don’t need to take the pills. I’m fine. The only pills I need are some for the pain and then I need you to call my friend to come pick me up. I’ve got a visitor who has no idea what is going on. I need to go home.”

Allison tapped the tray and met his gaze full on. “I’m sure your visitor is just fine. New York City might be pretty large and busy but it’s just like any other. I’m sure he can figure things out for himself. You on the other hand need to get better. Taking these pills will help with that.”

“You don’t understand! He isn’t from here! He’s from . . . from another time!”

 

 

It was not Jared’s fault that the television was at a very high volume. For a man from 19th century he had been adapting quite well to all the new technologies he was faced with. The remote seemed to have completely dumbfounded him though, unless he was changing the channel. So Jared was unable to hear the window open or the man approach until the remote was taken from his hands and the television turned off.

“Dude, what was up with the ear bleeding sound?” The remote was tossed onto the couch and a blonde eyebrow lifted as blue eyes surveyed him. “Are you a new roomie? I told Jenny he should make Mike find a new one.”

“New roomie?”

“Roommate, or oh are you his new boy toy? Damn Jensen is gonna kill Mi—“

“I am just a friend, of sort. I am just visiting for a week so I doubt that would make me a ‘roommate’.”

“Sure, a friend . . . anyway I’m Chad. I live upstairs most of the time. I’m an actor so I’m gone for random periods of time,” Chad grinned and held out his hand. Jared noted he had a strong grip.

“Jared Padalecki, I work for my father.”

“Family business, sounds like fun.” Chad glanced around the apartment and frowned. “Where is Mike anyway?”

“He is in the hospital, apparently he fell down the,” Jared paused for a second as Harley finally made his way into the room from where he had been napping on Jensen’s bed. He sniffed Chad’s feet before jumping up to attempt kisses. “He fell down the elevator shaft. Apparently there was a malfunction of some sort.”

“Elevators have been wonky all over since yesterday morning, it’s kind of weird.” Chad dropped back onto the couch and made himself comfortable as he scratched Harley’s ears. “Hey, are you an artist?” he asked noticing the open sketchbook.

“Not really. I sketch in my free time. It is not something I do for a living.”

Chad glanced up at him as he flipped through the sketchbook. “Dude these are better than most of the art students I knew in college and I knew a lot of art students. It was almost a minor of mine . . . I kind of sucked though so I stuck to theater.”

“I’m not really used to the medium; I usually use a rougher paper and charcoal.” Jared sat down across from Chad in an arm chair.

“If you’re this good with pencil I can’t imagine what you can do with a piece of charcoal. You should seriously think about trying to sell some art, dude.”

Shrugging Jared reached over and took the sketchbook from him. He eyed the drawing of the living room Chad had been scrutinizing. “They really are not that good. I doubt I would be able to sell them for much.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Chad scoffed and set his feet onto the paper covered coffee table. Jared eyed the boots and bit his tongue. It was Mike’s home, not his, and Chad seemed to know Mike quite well.

“I would offer you something to eat but I am afraid I have yet to figure out how to cook most of the items in the cooler.”

“Mike probably has some hot pockets we could microwave.” Chad grinned and shot off the couch. “He usually eats me out of house and home. I’d be happy to return the favor.”

“Microwave?”

 

 

“These are the four I believe may work for the Johnson’s ad.” Jensen slipped four clear folders across the desk. The head shots and full body shots were clearly visible for inspection. He watched as Milo picked them up one at a time.

Milo frowned slightly as he set the last one down. “None of these seem right. They may be a bit too…” He tapped his fingers across the desk as he searched for the correct word. “They just aren’t the right model for this project. This one, however,” he lifted the furthest one on the left, “may work for Ms. Ferris’ current project for that perfume company. He’ll look perfect with the female model she chose.”

“I’ll take a look at one of the other agencies then.” Jensen nodded jotting down a few quick notes. “We still have until the twenty sixth, right?”

Milo stacked the folders and set the one aside. He grinned, brown eyes glittering. “We do, on the twenty sixth I’d like to have a test shoot just to make sure that Mr. Morgan likes the model and we’ll do the shoot for the ad on the twenty eighth. You have three days to work your magic and find the perfect model.”

Jensen sighed. “Three days isn’t a lot of time.”

“You’ll do fine Jensen.” Milo reached over and adjusted Jensen’s glasses, his thumb rubbed over the lens. “How can you see with dirt all over those things?”

Jensen flushed slightly. “I had an issue with my contacts this morning. These were better than me trying to fumble my way around without.”

“They’re fine. I think the right pair of glasses can really accentuate a person’s attributes.” Milo grinned at him. “Do you have any ideas on a specific type of model at all? Or are you going through the entire collection?”

“Actually,” Jensen frowned, “I think I might have a pretty good idea on the body type and look. I met this guy, a friend of a friend, the other day. I think his look and attitude are kind of what we’re shooting for.” Jensen pulled his cell out of his pocket and pulled up the photo he took this morning. “Youthful, tall, strong, but gentle . . . in a way . . . that’s kind of the first impression I got of him.”

Milo took his cell and practically dissected the photo with his eyes, they were extremely dark when he met Jensen’s gaze. “This guy’s your friend?”

“Kind of, he’s visiting my old roommate for the week.” Jensen shrugged as Milo handed his phone back. “Or was, Mike’s in the hospital so I’m checking up on his dog and Jared.”

“Invite him to the test shoot, if you think he’s model material and if you think that he’s the type of model Morgan is looking for then we might as well give him a shot.”

“I don’t actually know what he does for a living; he may not have any experience.”

Milo shrugged. “Why don’t you ask him and then we can talk about it later. Perhaps over dinner tomorrow? I’m stuck in town for the holidays and I don’t really know many people.”

“Uh, sure,” Jensen said. It wasn’t as if he had any plans. He wasn’t going to Texas for the holidays due to work and his friends didn’t have much more than drunken parties on their list of activities. “That sounds fine.”

“Great, I’ll pick you up around six?”

 

 

Jensen leaned his head against the door jamb as he waited for it to be opened. He could hear muted sounds of guitar hero and Harley’s answering bark to his knock. Eventually it opened to Jared’s bright smile.

“Jensen!” Jared’s smile faded slightly as he pushed past him. “Are you well?”

“Fine, it’s just been a very busy day at work.” Jensen looked over his shoulder as they walked into the living room. “How were things here today?”

“Jenny! Our day’s been Awesome!”

Jensen groaned inwardly, he could feel a headache coming on. “Don’t call me Jenny.”

“Jared’s like a genius. He’s never played video games before but he can totally kick my ass at guitar hero,” Chad grinned at him from the couch as he gestured with a piece of pizza in hand. “He’s also like an awesome artist and a totally awesome actor.”

“I am not acting.” Jared frowned.

“Chad,” Jensen started turning slightly to the blond man, “when did you get into town?”

“This morning,” he mumbled around a mouth full of cheese, meat, and veggies. “Jared’s been keeping me company all day. I could learn a thing or two from him about acting.”

“You’re an actor?” Jensen looked back at Jared.

“No.”

“Totally method, it’s like he’s from the nineteenth century or something.”

“1852,” Jared stated. “I thought I made it very clear Chad, I accidentally followed Mike through a portal of some sort into this time.”

“See? Totally method. I taught him how to use the microwave and the toaster!”

“Awesome, look Jared I actually have a job opportunity for you.” Jensen turned to face him, ignoring Chad. “It’s just a small photo shoot for an advertisement, but you’d get a couple thousand out of it as a first time model for the company . . . unless you have an agency.”

“Totally free agent says he’s never acted or modeled.” Chad grinned then frowned. “That could be his character though.”

“I do not think it would be a wise idea.” Jared shook his head. “I am only here for a week anyway. I cannot commit to a job.”

“The shoot is on the twenty eighth with a test on the twenty sixth. You’d be done before you left. It isn’t even a for sure thing yet, but I think you’re a perfect fit for it.”

“Dude, do it! It’s practically free money, it’d pay for this whole screwed up vacation you’re on.” A chunk of topping fell off Chad’s pizza as he gestured. It quickly disappeared into Harley’s waiting jaws. “It’d totally make up for Mike being a lame ass getting himself stuck in the hospital. Who the hell falls down an elevator shaft?”

Jared examined Jensen’s face and posture as the other man’s gaze drifted to raise an eyebrow at Chad. “If it will help alleviate your anxiety then I will go to this photo shoot. In any case, I will need to repay Mike for letting me stay in his home and eat his food. The money I receive can go to him.”

“Dude, so not cool!”

“You don’t need to repay Mike for letting you stay here, you’re his guest.” Jensen nodded at Chad. “If anyone should have to pay for eating him out of house and home it’s that loser.”

“Hey, this loser is letting you apartment sit for free!”

Jensen ran a hand over his eyes, dislodging his glasses. “Which I’m very thankful for.”

“It is the least I can do for Mike, I know that he will have a hefty bill for his stay in the hospital and I do quite well in my business endeavors.” Jared inclined his head slightly and smiled. “You look exhausted Jensen, perhaps you should turn in?”

He squinted up at Jared and nodded, punctuating it with a yawn. “Yeah. I didn’t get much sleep last night, too much work.” Jensen waved over his shoulder. “’Night ya’ll.”

“Good night Jensen.” Jared watched as he climbed through the window onto the fire escape and disappeared up stairs.

“Are you gay?”

“What?” Jared snapped his eyes back to Chad. The other man was squinting at him with an intense look on his face. He frowned. “Am I gay?”

“Yeah, are you gay?” Chad sighed and rolled his eyes. “I mean interested in dick. You know, having sex with another guy. You were totally checking Jenny out.”

“No,” Jared shook his head then paused, a frown covering his face. He’d never really thought about it before. “At least, I do not think so.”

 

 

Saturday, December 24, 2005

“Jay-red!” Chad sing-songed as he slipped into the apartment. Jared was sitting at the dinner table working on another sketch with Harley stretched out over his feet. “Time to have some fun!”

“Did you want to play some more Guitar Hero?”

“And get my ass kicked some more? Not tonight.” Chad grinned at him and dropped a pile of clothing on the table. “I scrounged through Jenny’s stuff and found a few things that should fit, including a pair of pants that were probably Tom’s. You’d think Jenny’d have gotten rid of them by now.”

“Thank you.” Jared lifted an eyebrow as he pawed through the items. “Are we going somewhere?”

“Yep! We’re going to the usual hangout. I’m going to introduce you to the gang- minus Baldy and Jenny.”

“Jensen will not be joining us?” Jared frowned at the printed T-shirt Chad had chosen for him. Emblazoned on it was Everything’s bigger in Texas.

“The loser has a ‘business meeting’.” Chad patted him on the back. “Your gay crush will not be there. You can totally test the waters to see if you’re just lusting because Jensen’s a pretty boy or if you really do like dick.”

“I am not going to have sexual intercourse with a stranger.” Jared frowned at him.

“Who said intercourse? I’m talking about groping and blow jobs! Now go change so we can par-tay!”

 

 

The chair made a sharp squeal against the marble floor as Jensen shifted it forward. He winced slightly as the waiter handed him the menu. The place was fancy, one of the nicest restaurants in New York. He felt like he should have dressed up a bit more.

Milo grinned at him from across the small table, his eyes glittering in the low lighting. “Order anything you feel like having. It’s on me tonight.”

“Thanks, about the John—“

“They also have an excellent wine selection.” Milo smiled and set the menu on the table. “I think I’ll have the duck, I hear it’s delicious.”

Jensen nodded as he looked over the various entrées. “Their steak is supposed to be pretty good. Jared agreed to come in for the test shoot. Turns out he’s an ac—“

“Excellent, I knew you’d be able to handle everything.” He leaned across the table with a grin eyes dark in the dim light. “There was nothing to be worried about, Jensen. You always manage to find the perfect look.”

 

 

“All right, we’re gonna get drunk and have some fun tonight!” Chad punched Jared’s shoulder lightly as he entered the bar. “I’ll introduce you to the gang. Feel free to drop the part and let your hair down if you want.”

Jared frowned slightly but laughed as he followed Chad into the small establishment. The lighting was dim and it was slightly crowded, but it was clean and not the least bit seedy. Jared watched as Chad ordered some drinks at the bar before he motioned for him to follow. Chad led him over to a good sized ‘L’ shaped booth on the opposite side of the room, a man and two women were situated around the back side and one of the two chairs at the table had a jacket on it.

“Hey guys.” Chad grinned widely. He reached up and slapped his hand onto Jared’s shoulder. “This is Jared, a friend of Mike’s. Jared this is Chris, Alexis, and Sophia.” Chad grinned softly at the petite brunet he introduced last before turning to Chris. “Dude, are you and Steve playing tonight?”

“Nah, he just had to visit the little boy’s room,” Chris smirked and nodded at Jared. “So you’re Mike’s friend.”

Jared followed Chad’s example and sat down. He chose to take the extra chair and sat across from Alexis. She grinned at him from around a glass of pink tinted alcohol. “Yes, I was in town visiting and he offered to let me stay in his spare room for the week.”

“Just a friend, Jared’s got his eyes elsewhere.” Chad snatched at a hot wing the others had ordered earlier.

“So what do you do for a living Jared?” Sophia asked leaning forward, fingers a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I work for my father, he is a business man.” Jared smiled slightly his dimples showing.

“He’s a method actor and an artist,” Chad spoke before Jared could continue. He leaned over the table towards Sophia as he continued to tell her everything he thought he knew about Jared.

Jared watched the interaction between everyone at the table. Steve had taken a seat a few minutes after they arrived and had started an animated discussion of football with Chris which Chad had jumped right into. Jared didn’t have much to say as he wasn’t familiar with the sport. After a bit Alexis had excused herself to get another “girly drink” at the bar and didn’t come back. Sophia looked rather disinterested in the discussion and didn’t say much when Chad tried to involve her in the conversation.

 

 

Jared smiled at Sophia and nodded as she said good night and walked off. He made his way back to the table where Chad was gripping his glass of beer tightly. Chris and Steve had excused themselves to pay their own tab moments before.

“You and Sophia seemed to get along well,” Chad mumbled not looking at him as he stood.

“She is a fine woman. Very beautiful and quite polite.” Jared nodded with a smile.

“Yeah, awesome. You two going to get together?”

Jared set a hand on his shoulder and held a napkin in front of Chad’s eyes. “I told her that you were unsure as to her current relationship status and did not want to engage in a courtship if she was already involved with someone.”

Chad gaped at him.

“She would love for you to call her.” Jared’s grin widened considerably. “Her number is on this napkin, you may want to copy it down.”

 

 

The taxi slowed to a stop in front of the apartment building and Jensen thanked Milo for dinner before stepping out.

“It was my pleasure.” Milo slipped across the seat and he stood as well. “Great food and excellent company, what more could I ask for?”

“We also got some work done on the Johnson account, less stress for the holidays.” Jensen smiled slightly.

Milo took a step forward and trailed his eyes up the building. “This is your place?”

“Yeah, for now.” Jensen glanced at the doors. “I’ll probably move in a few months. My roommate and I had a disagreement of sorts; I’ve been staying with a friend upstairs.” He shifted his briefcase awkwardly. Milo hadn’t brought any work related items with him to dinner.

“I’d love to see your place. I’ve been considering staying in New York.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, it’s an excellent city. I think I prefer it to London.” Milo grinned at him. “So shall we?” He nodded towards the building a wide grin breaking across his face. Jensen suddenly felt uncomfortable; Milo clearly thought that tonight’s dinner wasn’t business related at all.

“Jenny!” Jensen stumbled forward as a very tipsy and very happy Chad attempted to jump onto his back. “You’ll never guess what happened tonight!”

“Chad.” Jensen almost felt like kissing the blonde. He spotted Jared a few feet away as he pushed Chad off of him. “Jared, you two look like you had fun.”

Jared nodded but he wasn’t looking at Jensen. His gaze was on Milo whose face had darkened, marred by a slight frown.

Chad stepped back and slung an arm over Jared’s shoulders the best he could. “We went to O’Malley’s and drank beer, gossiped, and flirted!” Chad grinned widely. “Sophia wants me to call her!”

“That’s great.” Jensen grinned and shifted his gaze to Milo as the other man cleared his throat. “Chad, Jared, this is Milo Ventimigilia, my boss. Milo this is my friend Chad and the actor I was telling you about, Jared.”

“Nice to meet both of you.” Milo held out his hand. Chad shook it with a smile while Jared’s face remained straight. “That’s a strong grip you have.” He nodded to Jared.

Jared nodded, hazel eyes scrutinizing Milo as they shook hands. “Is something bothering you Mr. Ventimigilia?”

Milo frowned as he drew his hand back; his eyes darted to Jensen before returning to Jared. “No, nothing at all.”

“Your seem a little nervous.” Jared let a smile spill across his face. “It is getting late and tomorrow is a holiday. We should probably head to our respective homes.”

“Jensen and I were just saying goodnight.” Milo stepped away and rested his hand on the taxi’s door. “It was very nice to meet both of you. I’ll see you Monday at the test shoot Jensen,” he nodded and then glanced and Jared. “You too, Jared.”

Jared nodded as Milo shut the door and the driver took off. He turned to eye Chad who was shoving the napkin under Jensen’s nose and attempting to tell him how he ended up with it.

 

 

Sunday, December 25, 2005 – Christmas Day

Jensen slipped through the window balancing two travel mugs in his hands. Harley bounded up to him as he settled on the ground and did his best to check out what Jensen was carrying. “Down Harley!”

“Jensen?” He looked up to see Jared standing in the kitchen over the stove. “What are you doing here today?”

“What no Merry Christmas? I brought some egg nog as a thank you.” Jensen held the mugs up with a grin and walked over.

“Merry Christmas . . . a ‘thank you’?” Jared raised an eyebrow grinning as he took a mug.

“I’m really kind of oblivious. I didn’t figure out last night was apparently a date till he was asking to come up to the apartment.” Jensen frowned and leaned against the counter. “You and Chad had perfect timing. Thus the thank you egg nog.”

“Well, you are welcome.” Jared grinned and Jensen found himself staring at the younger mans dimples. “Would you like something to eat? I figured out how to make an omelet.” He motioned to the open cook book.

“Sure if you have extra, I can always snag something upstairs.” Jensen shrugged.

“There is plenty here, I was going to make a second one anyway. I rather enjoy cooking and eating.”

Jensen grinned. “Well I enjoy eating what others cook. I burn anything that isn’t coffee. Anything else has to be microwavable or come edible straight from the box or fridge.”

“How do you survive without someone to cook for you then?”

“Lots and lots of take out,” Jensen laughed. “Which, I guess is having someone else cook for me. God, it’s been so long since I had a home cooked meal.”

 

 

A light whimper startled Jared and Jensen from their conversation around one. The two were sitting side by side on the couch with A Christmas Story playing on the television. They laughed as they realized Harley was barking in his sleep.

“I still can’t believe Mike kept him.” Jensen leaned back against the cushions.

Jared frowned. “Why would he not have?”

Jensen turned his head and met Jared’s eyes. “He was a stray someone dumped out front before Thanksgiving. Mike was going to take him to the shelter after the holidays but has yet to get around to it.”

“I find it hard to believe he would want to give Harley up after having him for so long.”

“Mike isn’t really a dog person, he’s just too lazy. If Harley wasn’t so opinionated I doubt Mike would remember to feed him or take him out,” Jensen sighed. He watched as the kid on screen got his mouth washed out with soup for a moment. “Harley has a deeper bond with you and he’s only known you for a couple days.”

“I like dogs, I was never allowed to have one growing up, at least not a large one,” Jared laughed slightly. “My sister had a small dog when she was younger. I did not like him much and he loathed me.”

“Lap dogs.” Jensen wrinkled his nose. “I’d rather just get a cat. At least they use a litter box.”

Harley chose that moment to blink up at them from the floor at their feet. His ears twitched once before he laid his head back onto Jared’s foot. Jared shifted on the couch leaning over so he could run his fingers over Harley’s head.

“Harley is a good dog. I would love to have a dog or two like him.”

“He’s large and just going to get larger before he’s finished growing.” Jensen’s wasn’t even paying attention to the television anymore. “Then again you are a giant.”

“My mother blamed my height on my incredible ability to sneak food growing up.” Jared’s hazel eyes slanted as he watched Harley shift slightly. Jensen’s gaze glued to his bright smile and those amazing dimples. “My brother is just as tall and my sister is about average for a girl her age.”

“How old are your siblings?”

“I have an older brother, about four years older than me. My sister is seven years my junior.” Jared sighed and glanced up at Jensen.

“I have an older brother too, and a younger sister. Mackenzie and Josh, I haven’t seen them for a couple years though,” Jensen said he shifted his gaze back to the television but the images didn’t register.

“I know it is not my business, but why not?”

Jensen shrugged. “A combination of being too busy with work here and my parent’s attitude to my ‘chosen lifestyle.’ It’s not that they hate me for being gay; they just don’t want me to bring it into their home. I try to avoid unnecessary trips and occasionally pay for Josh or Mack to visit me here.”

“I went years without seeing my family while I was at University.” Jared gave Jensen a sympathetic smile. “It was difficult, but sometimes I think being around my parents and brother are harder than being away from them.”

Jensen tilted his head back and shifted his gaze to watch Jared’s face. After a few moments the younger man continued, “They have so many expectations of me. I keep trying to be the son they want, but they already have Jeffrey to be that son. My sister keeps telling me I should do want I want, that I do not have to go into the family business, but it is hard to go against their vision of who I should be.”

“If you don’t want to work for your dad you don’t have to Jared. I’m sure he could find someone else to do the job, it’s not like there aren’t people looking for jobs.”

“I know,” Jared nodded. “He also has Jeffrey, he just expects me to help my brother run the business and lead the life he wants me to.”

“My parents expected me to become a doctor, I didn’t want to.” Jensen shifted closer to Jared on the couch and put a hand on his knee. “They thought I’d get married and have a bunch of kids and live in Texas within a day’s drive. That’s not what I wanted to do though.”

“My father was trying to force me into a marriage proposal,” Jared stated suddenly. Jensen let his hand drop to his side and stared at him with wide eyes.

“What?” He choked out.

“I had an ultimatum.” Jared rested his chin on a large palm and relaxed into a slouch. It was one of the few times Jensen had seen him without a near perfect posture. It was almost startling the difference it made. “I ran off before I could announce my chosen fiancé and . . . came here for a vacation. I wanted a way out, and I guess I found one.”

“What was she like?”

“Who?”

“The girl you had chosen?”

“I had about five minutes left before I had to make the announcement,” Jared shrugged, “and I had no idea who I was going to marry. None of the women remotely interested me.”

“None of them?”

“I have never really been interested in courting anyone. I never had a woman catch my eye.”

Jensen tilted his head, the sunlight from the window played across his features. The sharp lines of his jaw and cheekbones accented clearly. Jared met his gaze and watched him for a moment.

He hesitated a moment before asking, “Were you ever interested in women at all?”

“It was expected of me, I never considered anything else,” Jared answered honestly.

Jensen nodded and his green eyes held Jared’s for a few more moments before drifting back to the scene on the television. Jared settled back against the couch lost in his own thoughts.

 

 

Monday, December 26, 2005

“Good morning, Jensen.” Jared stood a few feet from the window as the other man slipped into the apartment. Green eyes blinked up at him blearily, a smile splitting Jensen’s lips.

“Morning,” he answered settling his feet onto the floor. Jensen lifted a travel mug up and shrugged, “’m not quite ‘wake yet.”

“Perhaps you should have gone to bed earlier.” Jared grinned at him and motioned towards the kitchen. “I already took Harley for a walk and made breakfast. I could put some toast or fry an egg relatively quick if you are hungry.”

Jensen attempted to stifle a yawn, shaking his head. “Nah, I grabbed a pop tart before my shower this morning. I’m just really not a morning person.” He watched as Jared corralled Harley into the kitchen using the kiddy gate.

“So, are you ready for the test shoot?” Jensen’s eyes drifted across Jared’s back and lower as the younger man fiddled with the locking mechanism.

“I am not sure.” Jared’s hand batted helplessly at Harley as the dog molested his face with kisses over the gate. “To be honest I have never participated in a photo shoot before.”

Jensen nodded and rested against the back of the couch. “It won’t be too bad. The photographer is just going to take a few shots in base poses with different lightly to see how it looks. They just want to make sure you’re photogenic. There may be one or two other models there as well, I’m not sure if Milo talked to anyone else.”

“Will these photos be similar to the final shoot?” Jared glanced over his shoulder, leaning back on his heels.

“Probably not.” Jensen shook his head. “For the final shoot you’ll go into wardrobe and make up. They just want to know what they’ll have to adjust to get the best shot possible.”

Jared nodded and swiped his palms against the leg of his jeans before standing. He took the coat hanging off the back of a kitchen chair and slipped it on, a wide grin breaking across his face. “Shall we go to work?”

A grin spreads across his own face and Jensen nodded. “I think we shall.”

 

 

The building where the photo shoot was to take place was far enough away from the apartment that Jensen ended up hailing a cab. The streets were busy with the morning rush hour and it took nearly an hour for them to get there.

Jared was utterly fascinated with the taxi- it was the first car he had ever been in. He tried not to ask too many questions about how it worked but couldn’t help it. Jensen answered the best he could eventually interrupting Jared with a roll of his eyes and an off handed remark about dropping the act.

The younger man had stopped talking then his gaze traveling outside the window to take in the surroundings as they passed. The high buildings and busy streets were so different from his time; the entire rhythm of the city was different.

Jensen pushed Jared’s shoulder breaking his train of thoughts. He turned, taking in the shorter man’s bright green eyes and smiling lips.

“Come on Jared, time to make you a model,” Jensen said slipping out the door; he stretched while he waited on the side walk. As they made their way up to the building Jensen’s dress shoes slipped slightly on an icy step and Jared automatically reached out to steady the other man with a strong hand around his bicep.

Jensen shivered slightly eyes trailing down to Jared’s large fingers wrapped halfway around his arm. It wasn’t as if Jensen was a small man, far from it, Jared was just huge. He felt a slight blush spread across his cheeks and Jensen hoped it could be mistaken for a byproduct of cold weather.

“Thanks.” Jensen glanced up to Jared’s eyes then away. He cleared his throat, “We should get inside, don’t want to be late.”

Jared nodded and dropped his hand to his side. He followed the older man into the building, trailing a few steps behind.

 

 

The photo shoot was a lot different than posing for a painting or even a photograph- which was a new invention during Jared’s time. He did his best to listen to the directions he was given and carry them out to the word.

Jared tilted his head and smiled to the lens as Kripke, the photographer, barked out a few adjustments to the assistants next to the lights.

While Kripke’s attention was diverted, Jared glanced around trying to figure out where Jensen had disappeared to. Just after arriving, Jared had been dragged off for the test shoot leaving Jensen to discuss the new design with Milo and Mr. Morgan.

“Mr. Ackles, I hear you found us the perfect model for my advertisements,” Mr. Morgan stated with a grin, hand outstretched.

“I did my best and I believe I found just the right model.” Jensen shook his hand and smiled. “They should be done with the test shoot shortly. Jared was scouted so I don’t have any head shots for you to look at.”

“He’s a friend of Jensen’s,” Milo stated opening the folder Jensen had set up. “Absolutely gorgeous and a giant, bit of an attitude though.”

Jensen frowned, “Jared’s an actor, quite a good one. I have no doubt that he’ll be able to capture the essence of the product.”

“These are the new concept sketches. I had our art department do some layouts for you to go over,” Milo laid them out across the table. Jensen frowned as he listened to his boss but didn’t dare interupt. “Now when you see the base photos you should be able to get an idea for the overall look of the final product . . .”

 

 

“Mr. Morgan loved you.” Jensen grinned as they walked out onto the street. “He agrees that you’re the perfect model for his ad.”

“I have the job then?”

Jensen punched his arm and grinned. “Of course you have the job. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if Morgan tried to book you for future projects. Are you sure about giving your earnings to Mike?”

“I need to pay him back for letting me stay in his home,” he nodded eyes taking in nearby shops and office fronts. “Besides, I have all that I need.”

“Noble,” Jensen snorted, rolling his eyes.

“Plus,” Jared grinned, dimples appearing and catching Jensen’s gaze, “Mike will owe me one.”

“Hey, how about we go get something to eat.” Jensen glanced around judging their surroundings. “There should be a family restaurant a couple blocks over that serves some tasty Italian plates.”

“Sounds like an excellent idea.” Jared fell into step next to Jensen as they walked a comfortable silence rising between them. The small restaurant wasn’t a horribly long walk, about two blocks down and another block over, even with the chilly winter air and wet slosh at their feet the trip was made quickly. Two shop fronts before they reached their destination Jared paused, hazel eyes narrowing as he peered into a darkened shop.

Jensen stopped and paced back after a moment. “See something you like?”

“No,” Jared paused and shook his head, fingers coming up to brush the long strands out of his eyes. “I just thought I saw something familiar.”

“Huh,” Jensen puffed out a breath of icy air and squinted through the darkened windows. “Well it is a pawn shop, perhaps there’s something familiar in there. Lots of people sell trinkets and antiques or such for some quick cash at these places.” He glanced at the door. “Looks like they’re out to lunch now, we could come back in an hour and check it out?”

Jared shook his head, “No need, I am sure it’s nothing.”

Jensen frowned but nodded and motioned for Jared to follow him on down the street, “C’mon, let’s get some grub.”

 

 

It really was a small restaurant, at most a dozen tables and booths were scattered around the small area. None of the tables were close enough to invade privacy but not so far away that the space wasn’t used to its maximum potential. The waitress that seated them was young, her pale face flushed slightly as she spoke to them, flirting as she took their order.

A short while later they had fresh garden salads and a small plate of fresh bread and butter between them.

Jensen wrinkled his nose as he watched Jared drizzle light vinaigrette over his garden salad. His own salad was doused liberally in classic ranch.

“So, how did the shoot go?” he asked spearing a slice of cucumber and a few leafs speckled with dressing and slivers of cheese.

“I thought they told you.” Jared raised an eyebrow settling his fork against the plate.

“I saw the pictures and heard the end result.” Jensen swiped his thumb over the corner of his mouth to remove a smear of dressing. “I was just curious about your take on the whole process.”

“It was interesting, quite unlike anything I have ever done before,” he paused to take a bite a small noise of appreciation falling from his lips. “This is excellent vinaigrette.”

“If you say so.” Jensen grinned. “I never could build up a taste for that stuff. My mother loves it though.”

Jared grinned back spearing the ripe cherry tomato on the side of his dish. “The photo shoot was not difficult, in a way it was fun. Kripke seemed to have an excellent eye for what he wanted.”

“He’s one of our best photographers. He always manages to get the best shots.” Jensen pushed the remainder of his salad together allowing him to easily capture it. “Are you looking forward to the final shoot Wednesday?”

Jared tilted his head, hazel eyes peering out from behind his bangs. “If it is as easy as today I think it will be fine.” He cleared his throat and pushed his empty plate near Jensen’s. “How did your meeting with Mr. Morgan and Mr. Ventimiglia go?”

Jensen tilted his water glass slightly, letting his fingers play against the sweating glass. “It was fine, excellent. Mr. Morgan thought the proposed tone would be perfect for his product.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“What?” Jensen lifted his eyes to Jared’s. The younger man was watching him carefully, gaze steady. “Nothing’s wrong. Everything went perfectly.”

“Jensen,” Jared spoke quietly, “I may not have known you for very long, but I can tell that there is something bothering you.”

He dropped his gaze to where his thumb brushed the condensed water from the glass. A large hand reached out and pulled it from his grasp, moving it across the table. Jensen let his hand fall against the wooden table top, fingers pushed flat. “Milo presented the rough proofs to Morgan as if he organized everything. I didn’t get an ounce of credit. He practically dismissed me from the discussion.”

Jensen raised his eyes and met Jared’s gaze. “It completely threw me. Earlier this week it was all about working together and he complimented me on my good work with the project.”

“He was courting you.”

“Courting me?” Jensen’s eyebrows knit together. “I know we had the miscommunication the other night…”

“You refused his advances, however inappropriate they may have been, and it probably upset him.”

Their conversation tapered off as the waitress delivered two full plates of pasta. When she was gone Jared watched as Jensen gathered pasta primavera onto his fork.

“He went about it wrong.”

“Hmm?” Jensen quirked an eyebrow in question as he chewed.

“If I were to court you I would send you an official declaration of my interest,” He stated before turning his attention to the plate of Linguini in front of him.

 

 

A long sigh escaped his lips as Jensen flopped backwards onto the bed, jostling the laptop lying on the comforter next to him. He ran his fingers under his glasses, rubbing against tired eyes. After lunch Jensen had sent Jared home in a taxi and returned to work. He had managed to avoid Milo for the rest of the day as his boss had taken the afternoon off. Jensen made the decision to take Tuesday off, he had sick days left to use and two days for the holiday just wasn’t enough. He was exhausted and really didn’t want to deal with Milo so soon.

He leaned his head back against the pillows, letting his eyes drift shut. A knock at the door startled Jensen just before he could drift off.

“Dude, you shouldn’t sleep with your glasses on,” Chad’s voice drifted over from the doorway. Jensen glared at him half heartedly, sitting up in bed. The other man slipped into the room and walked over.

“Wha’ dya w’nt?” Jensen slurred tiredly.

Chad grinned at him and tapped the top of Jensen’s laptop. “Got something for you.”

Jensen raised an eyebrow and punctuated the questioning look with a yawn. The blonde tossed a sealed envelope into his lap, chuckling as Jensen fumbled for it.

“What is it?” Jensen squinted at it, flipping it over to find his name in perfect scrolling text.

“Jared asked me to give it to you,” He shrugged. “Wanted me to ask if you’d meet him upstairs for lunch tomorrow too.”

Jensen blinked at him a frown marring his face. “You seem perky.”

Chad grinned widely eyes dancing, “I asked Sophia out—and she said yes! Dude I am so going to get laid!”

 

 

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

It wasn’t until the next morning that Jensen read over the letter that Chad delivered to him. He woke up later than usual, having turned off his alarm clock, and just stared blankly at the front of the envelope as it leaned against the lamp on his nightstand.

Eventually he pushed himself up and opened it, sliding out a clean sheet of printer paper. Neat, perfect writing was scrawled in even lines at the center of the page.

 

 _Dear Jensen,_

 _We have only known each other for a short period of time and yet I feel as though it has been a life time. Through our blossoming friendship I have come to learn several things about myself that I had never dreamed of. The most notable of these is my interest in you._

 _The feelings that I have for you are growing beyond that of a simple friendship, they are different from anything I have ever felt before. Since the moment I laid eyes upon you something changed within me. I am unsure as to the extent of these feelings but cannot on good conscious leave them unexplored._

 _As such, I would greatly appreciate it if you could join me for lunch tomorrow shortly after noon._

 _Yours Truly,_

 _Jared_

 

The letter dropped onto his lap, automatically refolding itself due to the sharp creases. Jensen stared at it for a long moment, eyes wide.

Jensen darted to the clock where 11:14 am shone in brilliant red from the digital display. He cursed slightly glancing back down at the letter before placing it to the side, rushing to get ready.

 

 

Lunch was not a fancy ordeal, Jared had raided Mike’s fridge for ingredients to several carefully selected dishes and convinced Chad to visit the market for the rest. Of course, it took Chad three trips because he wasn’t used to Jared’s curving script or he just didn’t know what the item was. In the end Jared managed set up a dinner for two at the beat up kitchen table and make a tasty meal with a scrumptious desert.

Jared almost missed Jensen’s arrival; the window creaked softly before a light thump announced the other man’s presence. He finished smoothing the placemats he had located stuffed in the back of cupboard before turning, folding his hands behind his back.

A smile broke out across his face as he surveyed Jensen. The shorter man was shifting awkwardly, a half smile crooking pale pink lips. Jensen’s green eyes were wide and nervous, a light blush darkening freckled cheeks. He wore a pressed long sleeved white button up dress shirt over a dark t-shirt and jeans. His chin was clean shaven and his dark blonde, almost brown, hair was styled into soft spikes.

“Jensen, I am very glad you came.” Jared moved forward a pace then paused. He knew what to do when courting a woman, a man was unexplored territory and he was unsure as to how act. Both of them were gentlemen, Jared knew that he wouldn’t want to be treated like a woman and doubted that Jensen would enjoy that either.

“I know that this is not a conventional first date, but I thought you might enjoy a home cooked meal.” Jared motioned towards the set table with his right hand. “If you would take a seat I will bring out our lunch.”

“Conventional or not . . . it doesn’t bother me.” Jensen grinned as he moved toward the table. “And you’re right, a home cooked meal sounds awesome. I’m surprised you remembered.”

“How could I forget anything about you?” Jared asked as he set a plate in front of Jensen.

“It wasn’t like it was an important conversation,” Jensen said grinning as Jared took his own seat. They were sitting at the center of the table, the shortest side. A trio of different sized candles set between them, vanilla scent hanging in the air. The room was darkened slightly as the blinds were at least partially shut, the candle light gave a nice ambience but wasn’t the main source of light. Jensen let his eyes take in the full plate in front of him. “What is this?”

“Beef with Cucumber Raita.” Jared watched as Jensen tasted a portion of the meat before trying the Raita. “It is my first time making the dish, but the recipe sounded too good to pass up.”

“This is excellent, Jared.” Bright green eyes met his and he watched an expression of pure enjoyment play across Jensen’s face. “For a first time chef you’re simply amazing.”

“Thank you.” Jared ducked his head slightly as he took a bite, a blush rising high on his cheeks.

While lunch was excellent, desert was just as good if not better. Jared had made rice pudding from scratch and it was just perfect, much better than any store bought brand. As Jared carried the dishes into the kitchen, Jensen blew out the candles and tried to help clean up. Eventually they made their way to the couch, sprawling slightly closer than in the past onto the cushions.

“What now?” Jensen was turned slightly toward Jared, his knee brushing the other mans and his arm casually spread across the back of the couch.

“Actually, I was hoping you could suggest an activity of some sort.” Jared flushed slightly. “You are much more familiar with the city than I am.”

Jensen nodded and bit his lip, his eyes caught on one of Jared’s sketches lying on the coffee table. “I do have an idea, one I think you’ll love.” He grinned pushing himself up. “C’mon,” Jensen held his hand out for Jared’s, “we should be able to get there while there aren’t many crowds.”

 

 

“Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.” Jensen grinned as they stood in the entryway to the museum. He was watching the emotions play across Jared’s face with pleasure. “What do you want to look at first?”

Jared turned his focus away from the amazing building and displays and smiled brightly at Jensen. “The paintings.”

After a quick glance at a map of the Met, Jensen slipped his fingers through Jared’s and pulled him through the sparse crowd. His cheeks burned slightly but the feel of Jared’s fingers laced through his own was worth any potential embarrassment.

 

 

“Now Mike, we’ve discussed this,” the doctor said as he watched him quietly across the desk. “Time travel isn’t real.”

“Yes, it is and I am not insane.” He glared, blue eyes narrowed angrily. Not only did he have a broken leg and a concussion, but now he was stuck in some insane asylum talking to a crackpot of a psychiatrist.

“You need to accept that this is a fabrication. We need to find the source of this delusion so we can cure you.”

“I. Am. Not. INSANE!”

The doctor sighed. “Nurse Kristin?” he called and then paused till a dark haired young woman peered around the door. “Could you take Mike to his room and give him his meds?”

She smiled sweetly and moved to stand behind Mike’s wheelchair. “Of course!”

 

 

The visit to the museum was simply amazing; Jared was in awe of the various collections from all over the world. They stayed for hours just perusing the halls examining paintings, jewelry, and all sorts of various artifacts.

Conversation was light and fun but filled with dozens of new facts about each other. A lot of information regarding their families came up, in Jared’s case he tried to be a bit more general as he didn’t want to cause Jensen to become upset with him over his ‘method acting’ again. Jensen, on the other hand, ended up telling Jared about his grandfather and childhood dreams.

The Ackles family were Texans and had been for several generations. They lived outside of Dallas in the city of Richmond, but his grandfather had built a prosperous business smack dab in the middle of busiest area of Dallas.

It was an art gallery that gave opportunities for all sorts of artists native to the area to get their works out there. People from all sorts of walks of life had used the gallery as a way to buy and sell art and it had been successful till the day that his grandfather had passed away. Jensen’s dream as a boy had been to run the gallery but his father had sold it when he was twelve, unwilling to invest the time and effort into keeping the gallery in business.

Jared had squeezed his hand firmly, offering a measure of comfort. “You could still open up a gallery one day.” He had stated watching Jensen as the man’s green eyes stared straight ahead at a random sculpture.

“No.” Jensen shook his head a small, grim smile painting his lips. “The world doesn’t work that way. I don’t have the means to get started anyway.”

“It would not hurt to look into it,” he supplied meeting Jensen’s gaze steadily as the older man turned to him.

It was the last they spoke of the subject as they were near the end of their trip. Walking back towards the entrance they passed the gift shop and Jared slipped into the restroom leaving Jensen waiting outside. Upon returning Jensen handed him a bag wrapped tightly around a book in a mockery of wrapping paper.

“I saw this through the window, I thought you’d enjoy it.” Jensen quirked a smile at him as Jared slipped the book from the bag.

That brilliant dimpled smile made an appearance, warmer and brighter than any Jensen had seen before. “This is a wonderful gift Jensen.” Jared flipped open the book to examine the pictures of various paintings.

“The major focus of it is American artists in the nineteenth century.” Jensen smile widening playfully. “I thought that was something you could relate to.”

“It certainly is.” Jared beamed up at him eyes bright.

 

 

They returned to the apartment before dinner so they could relieve Chad of puppy sitting duties. The rambunctious mutt was overjoyed to see them and even more so to have a leash hooked through his collar. Chad didn’t even ask how their day was, just grinned widely before rushing up stairs to get ready for his date with Sophia.

They weren’t gone long, only about half an hour. It was rather chilly out and Harley didn’t seem to enjoy marching through the wet slush as much as he did during the daylight hours. They snagged some sandwiches from a small shop a couple blocks down the road before returning to the apartment.

Jensen filled Harley’s food dish while Jared topped off the water bowl. While Harley scarfed his way through his own dinner they settled onto the couch to eat in peace.

Tossing his empty wrapper into a small waste basket, Jensen smiled softly at Jared. “I had fun today. It’s been a while since I had fun on a date.”

“I had fun as well.” Jared smiled tilting his head slightly before a serious look crossed his face.

“What’s wrong?”

Jared dropped his gaze to his hands for a moment, thinking over his words carefully, “I never thought I could have this.”

Jensen tilted his head forward, his eyes meeting Jared’s when the younger man looked up. “What do you mean?”

“I never thought I could find someone like you, someone that I could feel utterly comfortable with,” Jared paused hesitantly reaching out, fingers brushed against Jensen’s freckled cheek before dropping to his lap. “Never thought I would meet someone that I could care for enough to hazard the thought of spending my life with them.”

Jensen stared at him, face almost blank a multitude of emotions warring behind green eyes. Time stretched for what seemed like hours before Jensen lifted his own hand and settled shaking fingers against the warm skin of Jared’s cheek.

“There’s no rush, Jared.” He smiled softly before a light chuckle escaped his lips. “I feel like I could care for you too. I’ve been in other relationships, but I’ve never felt so at ease with anyone else.”

“I have never been with another man before,” Jared spoke softly but with a firm voice. Jensen’s fingers slid against Jared’s skin till his palm laid flat against his jaw. “Or even a woman.”

“There’s no rush, no time limit to relationships Jared.” Jensen leaned forward, his body moving to press against Jared’s side. He tilted his head up brushing his lips against the younger mans, hand moving to card long fingers through Jared’s hair.

Jared’s eyes widened slightly before he lifted a large hand to cup Jensen’s cheek. As Jensen backed off slightly Jared leaned forward to capture the other mans lips in a gentle kiss. It was perfect and Jared never wanted the moment to end.

It did end though, Jensen pulled away to turn on the television before settling back down against Jared’s side. He smiled up at him, eyes bright. “We have all the time in the world.”

“I’m leaving Thursday,” Jared murmured dropping his forehead against Jensen’s, eyes drifting shut.

Jensen chuckled smiling brightly. “Yeah, but there are dozens of ways to keep in touch. If it’s meant to be we’ll find a way.”

Jared slipped his arm around Jensen’s shoulders and let his grasp tighten slightly, if only it were that simple.

 

 

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

The smell of bacon and eggs permeated Jensen’s dreams, pulling him into the waking world. He blinked and pushed himself up on one elbow. His eyes itched from leaving his contacts in all night and his mouth was dry. A yawn cracked its way past his jaws and Jensen blinked, taking in the lightly lit room. The DVD player placed the time just after seven in the morning, plenty of time before he had to head to work.

The clashing sound of dishes turned Jensen’s attention to the kitchen where Jared was slowly making breakfast. He planted his feet on the floor and tiredly stretched his arms one at a time, shoulders aching from being stretched out across the couch.

“Sorry.” Jared grinned sheepishly from the kitchen. He batted Harley’s nose away from the counter as he turned the bacon over. “I was trying not to wake you.”

“Its fine.” Another yawn escaped Jensen’s lips, “I should go get ready for work anyway,” he said padding into the kitchen. Jensen squinted at the coffee maker. “Is it all right if I start some coffee before I head upstairs? It’ll save me some time.”

Jared chuckled, leaning against the counter to watch him. “It is your apartment, is it not?”

“I guess it is.” Jensen grinned as he opened the cabinet that held the coffee grinds and filters. “Mmm, nothing says morning like a fresh pot of coffee. I don’t know what I’d do without it.”

“Drink tea?”

“Blasphemy!” He laughed, flipping the top closed and punching the start button. “I’m gonna head up stairs, I should be back in about fifteen.”

“Breakfast will be ready by then.” Jared smiled. “And your coffee.”

Jensen nodded. “Are you going to be ready for your photo shoot?”

“I already am.” Jared reached down to scratch Harley’s ears as the bacon hissed in the background. “I even took Harley for a walk.”

“Great,” Jensen scowled playfully. “A morning person.”

“This morning person made you breakfast.” Jared pointed at him with bacon grease covered tongs to punctuate his thought.

Green eyes sparkled and lips quirked into a grin. “You have a point.” Jensen invaded Jared’s space quickly to steal a short kiss. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

Jared watched as he slipped out of the apartment and disappeared up the fire escape. A wet sensation against the fingers of his left hand turned his attention to Harley. The dog stared at him with deep brown eyes. Jared ran his fingers through the tan fur and scratched at the darker ears.

“I have no idea what to do, Harley,” he murmured hazel eyes blurring slightly. He blinked away the moisture and turned his gaze to the crackling bacon. “I really don’t know what to do.”

 

 

Jensen flipped through a few layouts, looking them over sharing opinions with Kripke. The photographer was excited about the shoot, not that Jensen had ever not seen him excited about anything related to photography. They were going over the specific details of the basic shots when one of the makeup girls interrupted them nervously.

“Are you Jensen?” Her eyes darted between them, fingers pulling at the hem of her shirt.

“Yeah, what’s going on?”

“Jared, umm the model,” she stammered. “He’s being a bit uncooperative.”

Jensen frowned eyebrow rising. “Uncooperative? What do you mean?”

“He shut us out of the dressing room… he said he wanted to talk to you?”

He gave her a small smile and nodded, sighing inwardly. “I’ll be right there.” Jensen tapped the concept photos and slid them closer to Kripke. “I’m going to go check on Jared- you should get ready to do your thing.”

The dressing room wasn’t that far away from the studio where the photo shoot was set up, just a few rooms down the hall. It didn’t take long for Jensen to locate the correct room.

“Jared?” Jensen rapped his knuckles against the white washed door. The lock clicked and the door opened slightly, he frowned and slipped through the gap. His eyes widened slightly, throat dry as he watched Jared shut and relock the door. The younger man turned to look at him, hands shifting nervously at his side.

“So, uh,” Jensen cleared his throat glancing away from Jared for a moment, “what’s wrong? The uh,” green eyes shifted back to Jared, tracing over the exposed chest, “the makeup girl said you chased her out?”

“You did not tell me this would be a photo shoot of an obscene nature!”

“Obscene?” Jensen’s eyebrows knit together, eyes shifting up to meet Jared’s. “What are you talking about?”

“They want me, you want me to get my picture taken half naked! It is entirely inappropriate!”

“Jared, the product we’re selling is lotion, for your skin.” Jensen laid a hand on his arm. “Of course the photo will show a little skin. But, it’s not as if you’re naked.”

“I might as well be!” Jared narrowed his eyes; he shifted far enough that Jensen’s fingers dropped off his bicep. “And this product? I cannot understand why someone would want to purchase it. It leaves behind a shiny greasy mess. The feel of it is atrocious!”

“That’s not the real lotion; it’s just an effect for the camera, to get a better picture. I thought you were an actor, Jared.” Jensen pushed into Jared’s space and settled his hands on the younger man’s biceps, grip firm. “It really isn’t a big deal.”

Jared’s reached up to grip Jensen’s arms in turn as he tilted his head down. “You told me this ad would appear in several major magazines and newspapers, that several thousand people would see it.”

“More like hundreds of thousands, actually,” Jensen grimaced. “Jared, models pose shirtless and actors appear on television practically naked daily. Honestly, it’s not a big deal.”

Jared pushed him back and walked a few paces away, pausing in front of a body length mirror. He pushed his fingers through his hair as he surveyed himself, jaw clenched.

“I told you I’m not an actor.”

“No, you’re a member of the aristocracy from the nineteenth century,” Jensen scoffed rolling his eyes. “If you don’t want to do the shoot, fine, it’s okay. But seriously, don’t do this.”

“Do what?” Jared turned to face him eyes hard. “Be myself? At least I am being honest, I have integrity.”

“Integrity? I have integrity . . . I’m not the one pretending he’s a time traveler.”

“You may have integrity in your personal life Jensen, but your business . . . it’s based off lies.” Jared shook his head. “Even my father never resorted to false advertisement.”

Jensen clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. “Whatever. I give up. You know, I’ve worked hard to get where I am . . . my life and my job may not be perfect but it’s mine.” He turned to the door, flipping the lock. “I’ll get a hold of one of the backup models, I’m sure you can find-“

“Wait,” Jared interrupted him. “I signed a contract. I will participate in this photo shoot as promised.”

“You’ll still need to find your own way home.”

Jared watched as the door shut behind Jensen and let out a sharp curse that he heard Chad had used the day before. It seemed rather appropriate for the situation.

 

 

The common area in the psychiatric hospital was well lit; patients huddled around various locations and numbers. Some were playing games while others were just staring off into space.

“Hello Mike, how are you feeling today?”

Mike transferred his glare from the open window to the smiling nurse next to him. “Like crap.”

“Is your pain medication not working?” Kristin frowned as she slid into the chair next to him, clipboard settling on her knees.

“My leg is fine; I want to go home . . . I really need to get back to my friend.”

“Your time traveler friend?” Kristin tilted her head, eyes watching him.

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, my time traveler friend.” Mike sighed running a hand over his head where the hairs were beginning to grow. “I know it sounds crazy, but it’s the truth!”

She nodded, grasping her lip between perfectly white teeth. “I believe you.”

Mike’s head shot up and his eyes surveyed her, looking for the truth or lie behind the statement.

 

 

“So, what’s up with Jenny? Did you two have a fight?” Chad dropped onto the couch and propped his sneaker clad feet on the coffee table.

“We did.” Jared didn’t even look up from his sketch, pencil moving harshly over the paper.

“And?” Chad prodded using the remote to shut the television off. “What was this fight about?”

“The photo shoot.”

“The shoot?” Chad snorted. “What the hell made you fight about the photo shoot… the shoot where your ass was being paid a large amount of money for minimal work that you were then giving to Mike.”

“The photos they took were obscene.” Jared finally turned away from the paper, pencil dropping out of his fingers.

“Jenny was having you do a porno? That doesn’t sound like him.” The blonde frowned. “What exactly did they want you to do?”

“They took photos of me without my shirt on! The images will be appearing in dozens of widely circulated media, hundreds of thousands of people will see me half naked.”

“Dude, you’re an actor, people would see you shirtless at some point.”

“For the last time, I am not an actor!”

“Look, whether you’re an actor or a time traveler it doesn’t matter,” Chad shook his head. “I don’t care if you came from Fourteen ninty—“

“1852.”

“—two. You’re in 2005 now, almost 2006, and here posing shirtless or in a fucking speedo is just normal advertising.” Chad motioned towards the television. “Hell, there are channels where you can see naked men and women on regular television shows—not just porn. Today’s definition of appropriate is entirely different from ten years ago let alone two hundred.”

Chad slapped his hand against Jared’s shoulder as he stood. “Think about it and then get your ass upstairs and apologize to Jenny. I can only take his moping ass for so long.”

 

 

Mike groaned as he slid his key into the apartment door, it had taken him about two hours to maneuver up the long stair cases. He had briefly considered taking the elevator but decided not to on account that it was the reason he was in this entire mess, well one of them anyway. Nurse Kristin had helped him escape shortly after dark, after a short make out session that he had been too happy to participate in if it got him out of the Looney bin.

He swung the door open and slipped through, using one of his crutches to shut it behind him. It was late, almost midnight, but even though Mike was exhausted he had something more important to do.

“Mike?”

Lifting his gaze from his feet, Mike took in Jared for the first time in almost a week. The time traveler was dressed in a slightly short pair of jeans and one of Mike’s old T-shirts. He looked like a normal guy, like a very hot guy but still normal.

“Jared, thank god you’re here,” Mike sighed leaning on his right crutch. “We need to get you ready to go home.”

“To 1852,” Jared stated softly, glancing down at Harley who had followed him from the living room.

“Yep, the portal will take you back to the morning of December 29th, the day you left.” Mike nodded as he maneuvered his way into the living room. He frowned glancing around the room, “Where’s my research?”

“Oh.” Jared moved quickly to the desk. He picked up a neat stack of papers and grinned sheepishly. “I straightened up a bit while you were gone.”

“I can see that. So, you’ll arrive the morning of December 29th—“

“What about my past self?”

“Huh?” Mike glanced up frowning.

“If I return to the morning that I left won’t I risk running into myself?” Jared asked quietly, fingers gripping one of the chair backs. His knuckles were white as his mind tumbled over the day’s events and the fact that he was being told he could go home, back to the past where he belonged.

“Uh, no.” He shook his head. “You should merge with your past self, there can only be one version of you in your proper time. Just do everything exactly like you did before only don’t follow me to the bridge.”

“So if I go back in time and don’t follow you we’ll never have this conversation?”

“No, we will,” Mike answered absently as he sorted through the papers, scattering them across the dinner table.

“I do not understand.” Jared frowned moving closer to the table to watch the shorter man work.  
Mike made a noise of excitement and lifted up a sheet of paper, a wide grin spreading across his face. “Time travel isn’t logical, it’s just possible. Now,” he shifted his stance, adjusting the crutches, “let’s get you home.”

 

 

Thursday, December 29, 2005, Mid Morning

Jensen sat quietly at the kitchen table in Chad’s apartment a cup of coffee cooling in front of him. His clothes were rumpled, slept in, hair sleep mussed and glasses posed in front of bleary green eyes.

“Dude, did you just get up?” Jensen glanced up to see Chad opening the apartment door sacks of groceries in hand. He smiled sheepishly and nodded.

“Didn’t you have to be at work, like, an hour ago?”

Jensen shrugged slumping down in the uncomfortable wooden chair. “Kinda.”

“Jenny.” Chad slammed the bags down on the table causing Jensen to flinch as glass somethings crashed together. “Just go up and talk to Jared, you two moping around isn’t going to help either of you. ‘Sides he’s leaving today… you should probably clear the air before he does and get his number. No way am I going to put up with you acting like this my entire hiatus.”

“I doubt he wants to talk to me,” Jensen mumbled taking a sip of coffee, it was bitter and downright cold and he nearly spit it back into the cup.

“Dude, Jensen, how could he not? He practically salivates over the ground you walk on,” Chad rolled his eyes and took the mug from Jensen’s grasp. “Now get up stairs and apologize so you can have hot makeup sex. And call your work while you’re at it so you don’t lose your lame ass job.”

Jensen glared at the blond for a long moment before forcing himself up and down the hall to change.

 

 

After getting up the long flights of stairs for a second time in six hours Mike didn’t have the energy to drag himself around the maze that was his bedroom, instead he crashed on the couch and completely ignored Harley in favor of the black oblivion that was sleep. Mike didn’t even notice when the dog had an accident in the middle of the kitchen floor or hear his incessant whining.

In fact Mike didn’t notice anything till Jensen kicked at the couch back and shook his shoulder till he woke up.

“’m up! God, Jensen.” Mike blinked up at him, taking in the annoyed expression on his former roommates face. “Where’s the fire?”

“Where’s Jared?”

“Wha?” Mike forced himself into a sitting position, carefully maneuvering his broken leg. “It’s Thursday, Jared went home this morning.”

Jensen rolled his eyes. “I kind of figured that, what with the lack of his presence and all.” He moved around the couch so that they could talk easier. “I forgot to get his contact info . . . I figured you’d have it since he’s your friend.”

“Contact info?” Mike eyed the other man wearily. “No, we weren’t really good friends, just acquaintances.”

“You don’t have a phone number for him?” Jensen asked running fingers through his short hair. “No email or anything?”

“No, we didn’t really know each other that well . . . wait how well did you get to know him?” Mike narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Jensen’s face.

Freckled cheeks flushed lightly with color and Jensen turned away, his eyes stopping on the coffee table. “Apparently not as well as I thought.” Expression darkening, Jensen reached out and picked up the heavy hard cover book lying over Jared’s sketchpad. “Forget I even asked,” he said standing quickly and heading towards the window.

“Wait, Jensen.” Mike shuffled quickly to his feet, hoping awkwardly on his good leg. “I’m sorry.”

Jensen paused and glanced over his shoulder. “You’re sorry for what?”

“For everything. For sleeping with Tom, for making you feel uncomfortable in your own home—“

“For letting a manipulative bastard you didn’t even know stay in my home?” Jensen turned around his eyes blazing. “I thought Jared was my friend, that we had something. Sure we had a fight . . . but I was ready to put that all behind us. I was an idiot. He obviously didn’t care enough to leave me a way to get in contact with him, hell he didn’t even take the book I gave him.”

“Jensen—“

“Don’t Mike, nothing you could say will make me feel any better at the moment.” He shook his head and held up the book. “I’m just an idiot. Did you have fun? Get a good laugh with your ’Time Traveler’ buddy?”

“He told you?”

“He told me a bunch of lies,” Jensen sighed heavily and tossed the book towards the couch. “You can have that by the way. I really don’t have any use for it.”

Mike ran through the stubble covering his head helplessly as he watched Jensen disappear up the fire escape.

 

 

December 29, 1852, Morning

The man Jared saw in the small mirror above his bureau was entirely different then he had been the last time he stood there. The last week had been an adventure, one Jared almost wished he could dismiss as a dream. He could not dismiss it though; it had been too real and too vivid to be just an ordinary dream. There was no way his subconscious could have come up with things like televisions, cars, or, hell, even the can of shaving cream. But, only hours after having been living in the year 2005, Jared was back home, back in 1852.

Now, once again, his mind was tormented by thoughts of his father’s party, of the fact that he was supposed to be deciding which suitable lady he would be spending his life with. This time, instead of just dreading the idea of marriage, Jared hated the idea of spending his life with anyone but the man he had come to care deeply for. A man that he would never see again.

The simple fact that Jared would have to choose anyone, female or male, to live out his life with was causing his stomach to roll and flip almost leading him to be physically ill.

He forced it away, just like before his trip Jared could not see a way to avoid his fate. So instead of letting the thoughts drive him to illness, Jared found his charcoal and began to sketch against rough paper. His fingers swept across the page in long arcs, tracing familiar lines and curves, imprinting memory onto paper.

 

 

Only hours later, Jared found himself in front of a familiar shop window looking for a gift to present to his future wife. His eyes roved across the trinkets inside, across jewelry and watches that glittered in the sunlight.

The art supplies he remembered from what seemed like years before lay in the same position not a speck of dust on the wooden case. Just like last time, Jared’s arm knocked into Mike’s, causing the shorter man to drop his camera into the thick slush covering the walkway.

“Fuck,” Mike mumbled glancing sharply up to meet Jared’s steady gaze. He snatched up the camera and dashed off, apologies mumbled under his breath. Jared’s hazel eyes stared after, something churning in his gut.

“Jared Padalecki!” Sandy’s squeal of delight caused Jared to flinch, an awkward smile filtering across his face.

“Sandy McCoy.” He nodded absently at her. She gazed up at him with large brown eyes, a honey sweet smile covering her face.

“I am looking forward to the party tonight,” she started pleasantly. “I heard—“

“Excuse me,” he nodded slightly stepping away, eyes locked on something in the shop, “I am in a bit of a hurry.”

“I shall see you tonight then?” she called after him, watching as he disappeared into the building.

 

 

Thursday, December 29, 2005, Early Afternoon

“You’re late,” Jensen groaned as Milo’s voice called from his open office door. He had just started going over emails and the day’s messages.

“I’m sorry, sir.” He stood quickly eyes darting over his boss, trying to gauge the man’s state of mind. “My former roommate just got out of the hospital with a broken leg- I was trying to help him get situated.”

“That model friend of yours who was staying with him couldn’t help?” Milo asked, eyebrow arching.

“No, Jared went home late last night.” Jensen shook his head his green eyes wide with nerves. “I called in—“

“Almost two hours after you should have.” Milo shook his head a smirk drifting over his lips. “So the model left, huh . . . anyway, there’s a meeting tomorrow morning about the Johnson account.”

Jensen nodded. “Yes I was just about to get the final details together—“

“Don’t worry about it Jensen.” Milo smiled. “I took care of it. The final layout I drew up looks amazing, Mr. Morgan is sure to enjoy it . . . he rather liked the rough copies we had at the photo shoot.”

“The layout you drew . . .” Jensen trailed off slightly a frown marring his features. “You didn’t do anything.”

“Of course I did Jensen. I was the one overseeing the project after all.”

“No, _I’m_ the one that came up with the layouts and _I’m_ the one that did all the work on this project. You just waltzed in to show your pretty face to the client and take all the credit.” Jensen wasn’t even looking at Milo as he spoke; the words exiting his mouth were incredulous. “You know what?” He asked, finally turning to the wide eyed man. “I quit. You want to take the credit? Fine, take the credit. You can also do all the work or hire some other puppet to play with and take the credit from. I’m done.”

 

 

December 29, 1852, Evening

The collar of his dress suit was slightly crooked, leaning up against his neck. Jared smoothed it down carefully as he looked himself over in the mirror. The party was only hours away and with it the unsettled feeling in his stomach was growing steadily.

A familiar rustling sound brought his attention to the bed where his sister was lying, draped haphazardly cross ways as she looked through his sketch book.

“These are good Jared! You should display these somewhere!” Megan looked up at him, a wide smile on her face.

“Are they?” He grinned back, crossing the room.

She nodded. “They really are. I think you could make a living with your art. I have seen art, Jared. My friend Katherine’s parents have a large collection. They have works from all the greatest artists in the world. These sketches are just as good if not more so. You could even paint on a larger scale!”

Jared chuckled softly and shook his head. “They are a hobby, I am to join Jeffery in the family business and marry a beautiful woman.”

“Father should not be able to force you into a life you want no part of.”

“Megan,” Jared settled his hand down on her shoulder, “this is our life, my life. I will do what is expected of me.”

“Jeff is the oldest and he is already married with a child on the way.” She pushed herself into a sitting position and adjusted her skirts. “You and I are not important. I will be wed and join another family. That is all that is expected of me, but you are the second born son. Jared you should be able to choose your life.”

“Wise words, if only that were the way the world worked.” Jared smiled sadly, eyes lingering on the open sketchbook, taking in the image he had finished earlier. “Tell you what, you can have these.” He flipped the lid closed and handed the sketchbook to her.

“No, I could—“

“You can and will Meggie, I can purchase another sketchbook in a day or so. This one was almost filled anyway.”

She beamed up at him. “Thank you!” Jared stumbled slightly as she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

He dropped a kiss to the top of her curls and grinned. “Now go get ready for the party; I need to finish getting ready myself.”

Jared watched as she practically bounced out of the room, skirts twirling around her ankles. A sigh escaped his lips, gaze drifting around the room settling on his dresser where his newest purchase gleamed in the soft light drifting through the windows. Half a dozen older trinkets surrounded it almost awkward in their positions on his bureau.

 

 

Jared smiled weakly at a couple of young ladies who stood near the bottom of the stairs. They giggled softly to each other as they shot glances at him. Jared rolled his eyes and searched for Otis in the busy crowd.

“There you are, sir,” the middle aged man grinned at him from a few feet away, “I have your dance card ready.”

“Thank you, Otis.” Jared inclined his head slightly. “I was wondering if I could speak with you for a moment before I join the festivities. I would like your opinion on my invention.”

“Of course, sir.” Otis nodded as he followed Jared up the stairs. “Best be quick about it, we do not want to upset your father.”

 

 

Thursday, December 29, 2005, Late Evening

“Dude, it smells like dog piss in here.” Chad crinkled his nose as he made his way to the couch. “The land lord is going to have a field day . . . and Jenny is going to be pissed.”

Mike answered, arm thrown across his face to block out the light, “Broken leg here, kind of hard to get around.”

“Jenny isn’t going to like that excuse.”

“I doubt I can piss him off more than I already have.” He rolled his eyes, peering up at Chad from under his arm.

“Did Jared seriously not leave you any contact information? He didn’t just ask you not to give it to Jensen due to their fight?”

Mike shook his head and dropped his arm to his chest, blue eyes glaring at the other man. “No, Jared didn’t leave contact information because he couldn’t. He’s a time traveler, as I have said and apparently as he told Jensen.”

Chad rolled his eyes. “You two are assholes. Seriously Mike, drop the fucking act. How can I get a hold of the bastard?”

“You can’t,” Mike sighed groping into his pocket. “If you don’t believe me look at this.” He tossed his camera to Chad as he sat up. “There’s your proof.”

“Dude, these could be doctored or something.” Chad raised an eyebrow as he scanned through the photos on the small preview screen. “I have to admit they are pretty good though, especially the outdoor shots.”

“That’s because they’re real!” Mike growled snatching the camera out of Chad’s hands. He didn’t manage to get a good hold on it and it fell to the floor, its fall was broken by the spine of Jared’s art book.

“Dude, calm down.” Chad picked up the camera and handed it over before lifting the heavy art book as well.

“Sorry, I’ve just had a very, very bad week,” he grumbled checking over the camera.

“What the fuck! Are you fucking kidding me?”

Mike shot his head up to find Chad staring wide eyed at the open book in front of him. One of the pages was creased from where Jensen had thrown it; Chad had been trying to press it down. “What?”

“Jared really was a time traveler, wasn’t he?”

 

 

When Mike and Chad made it upstairs, using the suddenly operational elevator, they found Jensen sitting on his bed with a variety of comfort foods circling him. He was just staring off into the distance, leaning against the headboard.

Chad exchanged a look with Mike before clearing his throat, “Hey Jenny—err Jensen, are you alright?”

“No.”

“Is this about Jared?” Chad glanced back at Mike who was cringing against his crutches.

“I quit my job.”

Mike blinked before shuffling into the room. “You what?!”

“I told my boss he was manipulative and then I quit. I cursed at him as I left, called him a perverted manipulative bastard whose goal in life was to bed his subordinates and take the credit for their work in front of the entire office.” Jensen turned blank green eyes to Mike.

“Danneel couldn’t stop laughing. I think I may have scandalized Ms. Ferris with a few choice phrases too.”

“Wow, you rock!” Chad grinned and then cleared his throat when Mike hit him. “Uh, we kind of wanted to talk to you about Jared.”

“What about him? Did he finally decide to gift me with contact information?” Jensen snorted, eyes drifting down to a melting slop of ice cream. “If he did I don’t want it.”

“Uh, not exactly.” Mike poked at Chad with a crutch as he leaned against the door jamb.

“Then what is it?”

Chad glanced back at Mike before sending Jensen a sheepish look, “He, uh, well you see . . . Jared really was a time traveler?”

Jensen raised both his eyebrows in disbelief before rolling dull green orbs. “Right, you can stop with this lame attempt to cheer me up, Chad. And tell Mike to get the fuck out of here while you’re at it.”

“I’m serious Jensen, he is!” Chad walked into the room and stood next to the bed, camera and book in hand. “I didn’t believe it either, but then Mike showed me this and explained his research to me.”

Jensen scoffed but took the camera from the blonde when he held it out. “These could easily be fakes . . . just photos of whatever show Jared was getting ready for.”

“True, but what about this?” Chad asked holding out the book, one of Jared’s sketches was being used as a bookmark marking the right page. “You’re the one that bought him this book, there’s really no way he could have or would have gone through the effort of doctoring it.”

“Jared was telling the truth.”

Jensen eyed the book wearily before taking it. He settled it across his lap before opening it to the marked page. The bookmark was a sketch of Harley and Mike entering Jensen’s old room. The dog was caught in mid bound, excitement rolling through his movements. The details were astounding, just like all of Jared’s sketches he had seen in the past week. Jensen smoothed his fingers over the paper before moving it to the bed.

The page was creased slightly in the middle, probably from when he had thrown it this morning. That wasn’t what caught Jensen’s attention though. There was a perfect sketch, lines and movement captured in the same style as the one he had just examined. The moment captured was a man standing in front of a closed door, a large puppy bracing himself against him in an attempt to spread kisses and licks. Jensen recognized himself and Harley in the aged charcoal sketch, lines smudged slightly from wear.

His eyes drifted to a small yellowed photo below the sketch, a familiar face stared back at him, the caption reading the Artists named: Jared Padalecki.

His eyes shot up to meet Chad’s. “He was telling the truth?”

“Yeah, guess I shouldn’t have pushed the actor thing so much, huh?”

Jensen’s eyes darted back and forth unseeing, gaze drifting back towards the open book. “I’m never going to see him again, am I?”

Chad shook his head sadly. “No—“

“Well, there is one way . . .” Mike trailed off as both men turned to stare at him. “It’d be a one way ticket, though, unlike him I don’t think you could get back here. Today was the last portal I could find to that time period. It’ll be decades before you could manage to find one even close to being able to returning you here.”

Jensen stared at him for a long moment, “I don’t care. I care for him . . . I . . . I think I love him. I don’t want to live without him.”

Mike nodded, eyes observing his friend carefully. “Then we better hurry, the portal won’t be open for much longer.”

 

 

The problem with going anywhere in New York City this close to New Years is that it is extremely busy, the traffic is horrible and the weather is just atrocious. Which was why they were stuck in traffic, a good five minute drive away from the bridge with less than fifteen minutes left.

“Shit,” Chad cursed squinting at the traffic ahead of them. “I don’t think it’s going to clear up in time.”

“It has to,” Mike darted a glance at Jensen. “There isn’t much time left.”

“I think we’re going to have to hoof it.” Chad glanced over his shoulder before turning back to Mike. “Where exactly is the thing supposed to be at?”

“Uh, I marked it with a white ‘X’, for reference . . .” Mike turned to face Jensen settling a hand on his arm. “You’ll have to climb out over traffic. You don’t need to jump or anything; you should just disappear before you get to the other side. Be prepared to take a swim though on the other side.”

Jensen wrung his hands together and nodded before slipping out the Taxi door and sprinting down the damp road and through the traffic jam, Chad on his heels.

The white ‘X’ on the bridge wasn’t as easy to spot as Mike had insisted it would be, but they managed to find it rather quickly.

“Do I have enough time?” Jensen asked as he pulled himself up onto the beams.

“I’m not sure,” Chad replied honestly. “I hope so, if not I’m going to have to put up with your ass for the rest of my life.”

“Funny.” He shot a glare over his shoulder and smiled. “Make sure Mike takes care of Harley, and make up something good to tell my Mom.”

“’Course.” Chad grinned. “Now get out there and find your boy before-“

“Get down from there!”

Jensen glanced over to the policeman as he carefully made his way across slim beam. Chad blocked the officers path, hands outstretched. “Whoa he’s not trying to commit suicide or anything, honest!”

“Get out of the way, sir. Your friend is in violation of the law and is endangering himself and the motorists below!” Chad grimaced as another officer joined the first. This wasn’t going to end well.

“It’s fine, sorry about that officer. It was just a stupid dare.” Jensen’s voice interrupted the confrontation. He was staring at the ground as he jumped down to the walkway.

 

 

Friday, December 30, 2005, Morning

“You’re idiots, both of you,” Jensen grumbled as he helped Chad support Mike. The other man was exhausted and in a lot of pain after having to locate and bail them out of jail for reckless endangerment. “I can’t believe that I listened to either of you.”

“I’m sorry we missed the portal Jensen,” Mike grimaced as they made their way down the hall. “I’m also sorry about the jail time.”

“You can pay my fine, how does that sound?” Jensen glared at him as they reached the apartment door. He shuffled slightly, letting Mike lean heavily on Chad as he searched his pocket for his keys. “Shit, Jared never gave me back the key.”

Chad frowned. “You gave him your key?”

“Yeah, I figured Mike trusted him enough to leave him alone—“

“I fell down a fucking elevator shaft!” Mike interjected as he dug through his own pockets.

“—so it could be on Mike’s head if he stole anything.”

“Here.” Mike snorted tossing his keys to Jensen. He caught the keys, found the correct one easily and slid it into the lock.

“You’re also going to clean up Harley’s messes,” Jensen stated as he pushed open the door. “I don’t care how much your leg hurts or—“

“Jensen,” Chad stated from where he had froze in the doorway.

“—how tired you are. It’s disgusting and—what?” Jensen glanced at Chad over Mike, finally realizing the two men had stopped dead in their tracks.

“Jensen,” a murmur tore Jensen’s gaze away from Chad. He stared at slanted hazel eyes, dark hair, and a large, tall frame, “is it too late to ask for forgiveness?”

Jensen stared at Jared, green eyes wide with astonishment. “Jared?”

A small smile crossed the other man’s face and he nodded slightly. “I could not live without you Jensen, I did not want to.”

Mike found himself stumbling against Chad and he hissed in pain as his cast hit the ground with a sick thud. Chad stumbled as well, but his gaze stayed on the pair down the hall a smile growing on his face.

Jensen threw his body against Jared, the taller man barely managed to keep his footing. He wound his arms around Jensen’s frame as their lips met in a passionate kiss, Jensen’s right hand wrapping around the back of his head, fingers carding through the thick hair at the base of Jared’s skull.

“I’m sorry,” Jensen murmured pulling back slightly. “I don’t care if you’re an actor, a time traveler, or an alien. I’m so sorry.”

“Me too,” Jared answered before sliding his hands up to Jensen’s face, cupping his freckled cheeks as he leaned back down to capture Jensen’s lips.

“So, uh, not to intrude or anything, but how the hell did you get back here?”

Jared broke the kiss and grinned. “Time travel isn’t logical, Mike, it’s just possible.”

 

 

One Year Later: Sunday, December 31, 2006 - 11: 58 pm

Mike had been right about time travel, it wasn’t logical. When faced with deciding his future Jared had made a difficult choice. Rather than live out a life he hated, the one his father expected of him, Jared had given Otis the plans to his invention and Megan all of his sketches. He had then taken various trinkets and items of value and gone to the bridge where he had first spoken with Mike.

After making sure that his past self had indeed appeared in this time with Mike, Jared had located a pawn shop, specifically the one he had walked passed that day with Jensen, and sold several trinkets for some quick cash. He hadn’t wanted to risk running into himself or anyone else so he had found a hotel to stay in for the week and had spent the majority of the time filling several large canvases with amazing imagery.

He and Jensen were now staying in what had been Chad’s apartment; the blond had ended up moving in Sophia, who was now his fiancé. They were happy and in love and were sharing the small apartment with Harley and Sadie, a recently acquired puppy.

Jared tilted his head examining the display of pottery in front of him. “It’s perfect.”

“Good.” Jensen grinned up at him green eyes sparkling. “I’m glad you like it. We should really get back to the party Mr. Famous Painter Guy.”

“I wouldn’t have sold a single piece without you,” Jared answered a hand coming up to cup Jensen’s cheek. It was true, in a way. After they had gotten over the initial phase of wonderment at being together, Jensen had freaked out again over the loss of his job.

With some gentle encouragement from Jared he had focused on the dream he had nearly forgotten. Now, a year later, they were standing in the newly opened Ackles Art Gallery with a room full of friends, artists, and potential client’s just feet away. The first works Jensen had sold were the charcoal covered canvases that Jared had worked on during that long week. It hadn’t taken long to find buyers, Megan had been right about people loving Jared’s works.

“I wouldn’t have this life without you,” Jensen answered softly. In the other room they could hear the countdown to New Years begin, the start of another wonderful year together. He reached a hand up to pull Jared’s lips down to his, “I love you.”

“I love you,” Jared whispered against his lips as cheers echoed around them. He pushed back slightly, smiling down at Jensen. Taking the shorter man’s hand he placed an object against his palm, curving Jensen’s fingers around it as he leaned down to press a chaste kiss against chapped lips.

“I love you more than time itself, more than anything or anyone that has ever existed.”

Jensen gazed down as he opened his hand, green eyes absorbing the glimmering pocket watch resting there.

“Will you be my Husband?”


End file.
